Nikolski, AK
Nikolski wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Nikolski at the 6th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 43 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Nikolski's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 6th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Of Nikolski's 43 counted buildings, 97.7% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Nikolski against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Nikolski's 6th national percentile and its 4th percentile inside Alaska, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Nikolski ranks 29,552 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,089 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 311 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
Nikolski and the insurance market
Nikolski's low rating (6th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Nikolski (97.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Nikolski's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 43 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Nikolski. The exposure-zones guide covers what Nikolski's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.