La Mesilla, NM
La Mesilla, NM's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores La Mesilla at the 74th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,287 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts La Mesilla at the 71st percentile, close to its 74th-percentile risk score.
Where La Mesilla's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in La Mesilla: 76.6% of its 1,287 buildings, versus 23.4% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where La Mesilla ranks
La Mesilla ranks lower within New Mexico (45th percentile statewide) than its 74th 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 Mesilla ranks 8,294 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,149 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 274 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
La Mesilla and the insurance market
La Mesilla's high rating (74th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Hardening a home in La Mesilla
With 76.6% of La Mesilla in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where La Mesilla's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,287 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for La Mesilla. The exposure-zones guide covers what La Mesilla's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.