North El Monte, CA
How exposed is North El Monte to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, North El Monte lands at the 54th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,874 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks North El Monte at the 59th national percentile — 5 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where North El Monte's buildings actually sit
Only 0.1% of North El Monte's 1,874 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 99.9% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
North El Monte against the rest of the country
North El Monte ranks lower within California (14th percentile statewide) than its 54th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, North El Monte ranks 14,458 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,839 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,358 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
North El Monte's 54th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 99.9% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, North El Monte gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
More on how this number was built
North El Monte's 54th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond North El Monte, see the exposure-zones guide.