Lancaster, KS
Lancaster, KS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Lancaster at the 55th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 220 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Lancaster's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 55th percentile nationally.
Lancaster's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Lancaster's buildings (77.7% of 220) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Lancaster compares
Lancaster's risk sits at a similar level relative to Kansas (43rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (55th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lancaster ranks 14,082 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,123 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 412 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Lancaster and the insurance market
Lancaster's elevated wildfire rating (55th 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.
Hardening a home in Lancaster
With 77.7% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Lancaster gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Lancaster's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 220 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Lancaster. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lancaster's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.