Ladysmith, WI
Ladysmith wildfire risk explained
Ladysmith's 1,964 buildings earn a 14th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Ladysmith at the 14th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Ladysmith's building exposure, zone by zone
1,964 buildings are counted in Ladysmith, and 59.4% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 26.1% in Direct exposure or the 14.6% rated Minimal.
Ladysmith against the rest of the country
Ladysmith scores 14th nationally and 15th within Wisconsin — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ladysmith ranks 27,060 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,580 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 687 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Ladysmith and the insurance market
Ladysmith's low wildfire rating (14th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Ladysmith (59.4% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Ladysmith's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,964 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Ladysmith. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ladysmith's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.