Idaho Springs, CO
Idaho Springs wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Idaho Springs lands at the 98th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 976 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Idaho Springs's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 97th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 85.1% of Idaho Springs's 976 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 14.9% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Idaho Springs against the rest of the country
Idaho Springs's risk sits at a similar level relative to Colorado (91st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (98th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Idaho Springs ranks 599 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,098 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 42 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Idaho Springs's 98th-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Idaho Springs
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Idaho Springs (85.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Idaho Springs's figures come from
Idaho Springs's 98th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Idaho Springs's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.