Powell, TX
How exposed is Powell to wildfire?
Powell sits at the 75th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 119 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Powell's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 75th percentile nationally.
Where Powell's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 54.6% of Powell's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 45.4% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 65 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Powell against the rest of the country
Inside Texas, Powell sits at just the 47th percentile even though it scores 75th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Powell ranks 7,766 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,220 by building count (1 is largest). Within Texas alone, it ranks 947 of 1,795 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Texas on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Powell
Powell's 75th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Powell (54.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Powell's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 119 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Powell. The exposure-zones guide covers what Powell's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.