Peñasco, NM
Peñasco, NM's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Peñasco lands at the 97th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 516 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Peñasco at the 94th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Peñasco's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Peñasco: 89.9% of its 516 buildings, versus 10.1% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Peñasco compares
Peñasco's risk sits at a similar level relative to New Mexico (89th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (97th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Peñasco ranks 1,044 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,090 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 53 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Peñasco's very high rating (97th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 89.9% of Peñasco 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 Peñasco's figures come from
Peñasco's 97th-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 Peñasco's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.