Index, WA
Index, WA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Index's 139 buildings earn a 67th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Index at the 61st percentile, close to its 67th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Index's buildings (51.1%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
How Index compares
Index's risk sits at a similar level relative to Washington (70th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (67th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Index ranks 10,480 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,348 by building count (1 is largest). Within Washington alone, it ranks 188 of 628 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Washington on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Index
At the 67th percentile nationally, Index carries the 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.
Hardening a home in Index
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Index (51.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Index's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 139 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Index. The exposure-zones guide covers what Index's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.