Makawao, HI
Makawao, HI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Makawao at the 88th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 2,579 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Makawao at the 85th percentile, close to its 88th-percentile risk score.
Makawao's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 80.5% of Makawao's 2,579 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 19.5% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Makawao ranks
Makawao's 88th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 37th ranking inside Hawaii does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 51 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Makawao ranks 3,720 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,141 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 103 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 88th percentile nationally, Makawao carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Makawao's 80.5% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Makawao's figures come from
Makawao's 88th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Makawao's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.