Kaaawa, HI
Kaaawa, HI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Kaaawa at the 93rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 500 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Kaaawa at the 90th percentile, close to its 93rd-percentile risk score.
Kaaawa's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Kaaawa (83.4% of 500 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 15.2% sit in the Direct zone.
Kaaawa against the rest of the country
Kaaawa ranks lower within Hawaii (60th percentile statewide) than its 93rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Kaaawa ranks 2,360 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,349 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 66 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 93rd percentile nationally, Kaaawa carries the very 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Kaaawa (83.4% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Kaaawa's 2,360-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Kaaawa, see the exposure-zones guide.