Middletown, CA
Middletown, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Middletown's 989 buildings earn a 98th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Middletown's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 98th percentile nationally.
Middletown's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Middletown: 59.2% of its 989 buildings, versus 40.9% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Middletown compares
Middletown ranks lower within California (81st percentile statewide) than its 98th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Middletown ranks 778 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,013 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 300 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Because Middletown is in California, a wildfire-hazard disclosure is legally required before a sale closes here — unusual nationally, since only these two states mandate it. The state's FAIR Plan alone carried 668,609 policies by the end of 2025. Full detail in the disclosure-law guide.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 59.2% of Middletown in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Middletown's figures come from
Middletown's 98th-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 Middletown's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.