Peterson, IA
Peterson wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Peterson at the 45th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 378 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Peterson at the 45th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Peterson's building exposure, zone by zone
378 buildings are counted in Peterson, and 72.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 27.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Peterson compares
Within Iowa, Peterson ranks higher (62nd percentile) than it does nationally (45th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Peterson ranks 17,265 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,687 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 388 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Peterson
Peterson's elevated rating (45th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Peterson's 72.2% 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 Peterson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Peterson's 17,265-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Peterson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.