Howe, OK
Howe, OK's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Howe lands at the 95th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 450 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Howe at the 98th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Howe's buildings actually sit
77.8% of Howe's 450 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 350 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 22.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Howe ranks
There's little gap between Howe's 95th national percentile and its 82nd percentile inside Oklahoma, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Howe ranks 1,451 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,280 by building count (1 is largest). Within Oklahoma alone, it ranks 153 of 834 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Oklahoma on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 95th percentile nationally, Howe carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Howe (77.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Howe's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Howe's 1,451-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Howe's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.