Patterson, AR
Patterson, AR's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Patterson at the 62nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 265 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Patterson at the 63rd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Patterson's buildings actually sit
265 buildings are counted in Patterson, and 65.3% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 34.7% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Patterson compares
Patterson ranks lower within Arkansas (45th percentile statewide) than its 62nd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Patterson ranks 11,966 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,659 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arkansas alone, it ranks 341 of 614 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arkansas on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Patterson's 62nd-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Patterson (65.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Patterson's figures come from
Patterson's 62nd-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 Patterson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.