Martensdale, IA
How exposed is Martensdale to wildfire?
Martensdale sits at the 47th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 258 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Martensdale at the 48th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Martensdale's buildings actually sit
Most of Martensdale's buildings (78.7% of 258) 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.
Where Martensdale ranks
Martensdale's 64th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 47th 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, Martensdale ranks 16,760 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,883 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 368 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Martensdale and the insurance market
At the 47th national percentile, Martensdale 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 Martensdale
With 78.7% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Martensdale gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 258 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Martensdale. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Martensdale, see the exposure-zones guide.