Kihei, HI
How exposed is Kihei to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Kihei lands at the 93rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 5,025 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Kihei's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 90th percentile nationally.
Where Kihei's buildings actually sit
5,025 buildings are counted in Kihei, and 88.8% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 11.2% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal. At 5,025 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Kihei ranks
Kihei ranks lower within Hawaii (61st 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, Kihei ranks 2,329 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,415 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 65 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
Kihei's 93rd-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Kihei
Kihei's 88.8% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 5,025 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Kihei. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Kihei, see the exposure-zones guide.