Phillips, NE
Phillips wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Phillips at the 49th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 218 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Phillips's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
Where Phillips's buildings actually sit
96.3% of Phillips's 218 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 3.7% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Phillips ranks
Phillips scores 49th nationally and 36th within Nebraska — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Phillips ranks 15,976 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,206 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 373 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Phillips's elevated wildfire rating (49th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Hardening a home in Phillips
Because 96.3% of Phillips's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Phillips's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 218 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Phillips. The exposure-zones guide covers what Phillips's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.