Kit Carson, CO
Kit Carson wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Kit Carson at the 77th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 309 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Kit Carson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 76th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 76.1% of Kit Carson's 309 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 24% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Kit Carson against the rest of the country
Kit Carson ranks lower within Colorado (47th percentile statewide) than its 77th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Kit Carson ranks 7,371 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,386 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 249 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
Kit Carson and the insurance market
At the 77th percentile nationally, Kit Carson 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 Kit Carson
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Kit Carson (76.1% 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
Kit Carson's 77th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Kit Carson, see the exposure-zones guide.