Indian Wells, AZ
Indian Wells wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Indian Wells lands at the 25th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 109 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Indian Wells's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 24th percentile nationally.
Indian Wells's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 87.2% of Indian Wells's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 12.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 95 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Indian Wells against the rest of the country
Indian Wells's 25th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 5th ranking inside Arizona does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 20 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Indian Wells ranks 23,783 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,647 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arizona alone, it ranks 421 of 441 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arizona on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Indian Wells's moderate wildfire rating (25th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 87.2% of Indian Wells in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 109 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Indian Wells. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Indian Wells, see the exposure-zones guide.