Pella, WI
Pella wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Pella lands at the 21st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 202 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Pella at the 21st percentile, close to its 21st-percentile risk score.
Where Pella's buildings actually sit
90.6% of Pella's 202 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 183 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 9.4% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Pella compares
Pella's risk sits at a similar level relative to Wisconsin (33rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (21st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Pella ranks 25,012 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,789 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 542 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Pella
At the 21st national percentile, Pella rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Pella (90.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Pella's figures come from
Pella's 21st-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 Pella's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.