Killen, AL
Killen wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Killen lands at the 54th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 773 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Killen's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 58th percentile nationally.
Where Killen's buildings actually sit
Of Killen's 773 counted buildings, 71.3% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Killen compares
Killen ranks lower within Alabama (11th percentile statewide) than its 54th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Killen ranks 14,423 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,887 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 529 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Killen's elevated rating (54th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Killen's 71.3% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Killen's 54th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Killen, see the exposure-zones guide.