Mapleton, IA
Mapleton, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Mapleton lands at the 54th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 820 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Mapleton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
Mapleton's building exposure, zone by zone
Mapleton rates 85.5% Minimal exposure against just 14.5% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 820 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
Where Mapleton ranks
Mapleton's 74th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 54th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mapleton ranks 14,428 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,447 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 263 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Mapleton and the insurance market
At the 54th national percentile, Mapleton 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
Even with 85.5% of Mapleton 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 Mapleton's figures come from
Mapleton's 54th-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 Mapleton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.