Paloma, CA
Paloma wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Paloma at the 98th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 111 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Paloma's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 98th percentile nationally.
Where Paloma's buildings actually sit
97.3% of Paloma's 111 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 108 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.7% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Paloma ranks
Inside California, Paloma sits at just the 82nd percentile even though it scores 98th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Paloma ranks 752 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,575 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 293 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Paloma
Because Paloma is in California, a wildfire-hazard disclosure is legally required before a sale closes here — unusual nationally, since only these two states mandate it. The state's FAIR Plan alone carried 668,609 policies by the end of 2025. Full detail in the disclosure-law guide.
Hardening a home in Paloma
Because Direct exposure dominates in Paloma (97.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 111 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Paloma. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Paloma, see the exposure-zones guide.