Ponce de Leon, FL
Ponce de Leon wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Ponce de Leon lands at the 72nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 414 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Ponce de Leon at the 73rd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Ponce de Leon's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 96.4% of Ponce de Leon's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 3.6% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 399 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Ponce de Leon against the rest of the country
Ponce de Leon's 72nd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 30th ranking inside Florida does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 42 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ponce de Leon ranks 8,913 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,940 by building count (1 is largest). Within Florida alone, it ranks 672 of 955 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Florida on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Ponce de Leon
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Ponce de Leon carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
With 96.4% of Ponce de Leon 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 Ponce de Leon's figures come from
Ponce de Leon's 72nd-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 Ponce de Leon's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.