Independence, IN
Independence wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Independence lands at the 17th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 95 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Independence at the 17th percentile, close to its 17th-percentile risk score.
Independence's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Independence's buildings (61.1% of 95) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Independence compares
Compare Independence's two percentiles: 72nd within Indiana, only 17th nationally — a gap of 55 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Independence ranks 26,122 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,257 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 266 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Independence
At the 17th national percentile, Independence rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Independence
Independence's 61.1% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Independence's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 95 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Independence. The exposure-zones guide covers what Independence's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.