Palo Cedro, CA
Palo Cedro, CA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Palo Cedro sits at the 96th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,123 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Palo Cedro's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 97th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
91.6% of Palo Cedro's 2,123 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,945 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 8.4% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Palo Cedro ranks
Palo Cedro ranks lower within California (77th percentile statewide) than its 96th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Palo Cedro ranks 1,225 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,136 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 367 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Palo Cedro and the insurance market
Palo Cedro's 96th-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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 91.6% of Palo Cedro in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Palo Cedro's figures come from
Palo Cedro's 96th-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 Palo Cedro's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.