Independence, WI
Independence, WI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Independence's 823 buildings earn a 21st-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Independence at the 22nd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Independence's building exposure, zone by zone
Independence rates 70.8% Minimal exposure against just 25.4% Direct and 3.8% Indirect — of 823 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
Where Independence ranks
There's little gap between Independence's 21st national percentile and its 33rd percentile inside Wisconsin, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Independence ranks 24,979 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,420 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 539 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Independence
At the 21st national percentile, Independence rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 70.8% of Independence outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Independence's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 823 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.