Lake Arrowhead, WI
How exposed is Lake Arrowhead to wildfire?
Lake Arrowhead sits at the 54th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,111 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Lake Arrowhead at the 52nd national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
95.7% of Lake Arrowhead's 1,111 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,063 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 4.3% are Minimal.
Lake Arrowhead against the rest of the country
Compare Lake Arrowhead's two percentiles: 99th within Wisconsin, only 54th nationally — a gap of 45 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lake Arrowhead ranks 14,389 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,218 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 9 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Lake Arrowhead
At the 54th national percentile, Lake Arrowhead rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Lake Arrowhead
Because Direct exposure dominates in Lake Arrowhead (95.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,111 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Lake Arrowhead. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Lake Arrowhead, see the exposure-zones guide.