Katherine, AZ
Katherine wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Katherine at the 63rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 199 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Katherine at the 67th national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Katherine's buildings (53.8%) 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.
Where Katherine ranks
Katherine ranks lower within Arizona (28th percentile statewide) than its 63rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Katherine ranks 11,617 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,875 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arizona alone, it ranks 317 of 441 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arizona on its state page.
Katherine and the insurance market
At the 63rd percentile nationally, Katherine 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 Katherine
Because 53.8% of Katherine's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 199 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Katherine. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Katherine, see the exposure-zones guide.