Mathews, LA
Mathews wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Mathews lands at the 24th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 1,253 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Mathews's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 21st percentile nationally.
Where Mathews's buildings actually sit
1,253 buildings are counted in Mathews, and 72.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 27.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Mathews compares
Mathews's risk sits at a similar level relative to Louisiana (24th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (24th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mathews ranks 24,076 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,332 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 371 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
Mathews's moderate rating (24th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Mathews's 72.2% 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 Mathews's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Mathews's 24,076-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Mathews's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.