Northwood, IA
Northwood, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Northwood's 1,349 buildings earn a 19th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Northwood's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 17th percentile nationally.
Where Northwood's buildings actually sit
Most of Northwood's buildings (88.6% of 1,349) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Where Northwood ranks
Northwood's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (31st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (19th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Northwood ranks 25,494 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,834 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 701 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Northwood
Northwood's low rating (19th 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
Even with 88.6% of Northwood outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Northwood's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Northwood's 25,494-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Northwood's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.