Lawtell, LA
Lawtell, LA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Lawtell at the 50th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 858 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Lawtell's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Lawtell: 68.2% of its 858 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 31.8% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Lawtell against the rest of the country
Lawtell scores 50th nationally and 57th within Louisiana — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lawtell ranks 15,724 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,101 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 208 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 50th national percentile, Lawtell rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Lawtell's 68.2% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Lawtell's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Lawtell's 15,724-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lawtell's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.