McNeal, AZ
McNeal wildfire risk explained
USFS scores McNeal at the 96th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 190 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts McNeal at the 97th percentile, close to its 96th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
190 buildings are counted in McNeal, and 92.1% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
How McNeal compares
Inside Arizona, McNeal sits at just the 79th percentile even though it scores 96th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, McNeal ranks 1,152 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,224 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arizona alone, it ranks 94 of 441 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arizona on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in McNeal
At the 96th percentile nationally, McNeal 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in McNeal (92.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where McNeal's figures come from
McNeal's 96th-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 McNeal's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.