Nelsonville, WI
Nelsonville wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Nelsonville at the 21st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 153 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Nelsonville's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 21st percentile nationally.
Where Nelsonville's buildings actually sit
58.2% of Nelsonville's 153 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 89 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 41.8% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Nelsonville against the rest of the country
Nelsonville scores 21st nationally and 33rd within Wisconsin — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Nelsonville ranks 25,041 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,781 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 546 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Nelsonville and the insurance market
At the 21st national percentile, Nelsonville rates moderate 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 Nelsonville
Nelsonville's 58.2% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Nelsonville's figures come from
Nelsonville's 21st-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 Nelsonville's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.