Matheny, CA
Matheny, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Matheny lands at the 64th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 481 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Matheny at the 66th percentile, close to its 64th-percentile risk score.
Where Matheny's buildings actually sit
53% of Matheny's 481 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 255 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 47% are Minimal.
Matheny against the rest of the country
Matheny's 64th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 22nd ranking inside California does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 42 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Matheny ranks 11,492 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,682 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,227 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Matheny
Matheny's 64th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Hardening a home in Matheny
Because Direct exposure dominates in Matheny (53%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Matheny's figures come from
Matheny's 64th-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 Matheny's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.