Palatka, FL
Palatka, FL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Palatka sits at the 76th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,320 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Palatka at the 77th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Palatka's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Palatka's buildings (53%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
How Palatka compares
Palatka ranks lower within Florida (39th percentile statewide) than its 76th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Palatka ranks 7,526 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,964 by building count (1 is largest). Within Florida alone, it ranks 583 of 955 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Florida on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 76th percentile nationally, Palatka carries the 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 Palatka
Because 53% of Palatka's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Palatka's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Palatka's 7,526-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Palatka's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.