Plymouth, CA
Plymouth wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Plymouth lands at the 96th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 702 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Plymouth at the 97th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Plymouth (63.3% of 702 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 36.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Plymouth ranks
Plymouth ranks lower within California (78th percentile statewide) than its 96th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Plymouth ranks 1,126 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,631 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 349 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Plymouth and the insurance market
Plymouth's 96th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Plymouth (63.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Plymouth's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Plymouth's 1,126-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Plymouth's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.