Penrose, CO
Penrose wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Penrose at the 85th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 3,558 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Penrose's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 86th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
3,558 buildings are counted in Penrose, and 84.5% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 1.4% rated Minimal.
Where Penrose ranks
Penrose's 85th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 66th ranking inside Colorado does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 19 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Penrose ranks 4,628 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,709 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 163 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
Penrose's very high rating (85th 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 84.5% of Penrose 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 Penrose's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,558 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Penrose. The exposure-zones guide covers what Penrose's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.