Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Lauderdale-by-the-Sea at the 53rd national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,706 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Lauderdale-by-the-Sea at the 62nd national percentile — 10 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 99.2% of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 0.8% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
How Lauderdale-by-the-Sea compares
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's 53rd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 6th ranking inside Florida does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 47 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea ranks 14,965 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,400 by building count (1 is largest). Within Florida alone, it ranks 903 of 955 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Florida on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
At the 53rd national percentile, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 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 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Even with 99.2% of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,706 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.