La Mesa, NM
How exposed is La Mesa to wildfire?
La Mesa's 423 buildings earn a 39th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, La Mesa's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 40th percentile nationally.
Where La Mesa's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in La Mesa (49.9% of 423 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 49.7% sit in the Direct zone.
Where La Mesa ranks
La Mesa ranks lower within New Mexico (7th percentile statewide) than its 39th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, La Mesa ranks 19,289 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,780 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 459 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in La Mesa
At the 39th national percentile, La Mesa rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 49.9% of La Mesa'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.
Where La Mesa's figures come from
La Mesa's 39th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what La Mesa's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.