Parker, CO
Parker wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Parker lands at the 83rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 17,117 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Parker at the 82nd national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Parker's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 61% of Parker's 17,117 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 11.9% Direct and 27.1% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to. At 17,117 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Parker against the rest of the country
Parker ranks lower within Colorado (60th percentile statewide) than its 83rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Parker ranks 5,511 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 843 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 189 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 83rd percentile nationally, Parker carries the very 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 Parker
Parker's 61% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Parker's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 17,117 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Parker. The exposure-zones guide covers what Parker's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.