New Castle, CO
New Castle wildfire risk explained
New Castle's 1,474 buildings earn a 88th-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.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts New Castle at the 85th percentile, close to its 88th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
83% of New Castle's 1,474 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 17% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
New Castle against the rest of the country
New Castle ranks lower within Colorado (71st percentile statewide) than its 88th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, New Castle ranks 3,714 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,287 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 138 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
New Castle and the insurance market
At the 88th percentile nationally, New Castle 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.
Hardening a home in New Castle
New Castle's 83% 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 New Castle's figures come from
New Castle's 88th-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 New Castle's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.