Puako, HI
Puako, HI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Puako lands at the 91st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 250 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Puako at the 89th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Puako's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Puako: 44% of its 250 buildings, versus 33.2% Indirect and 22.8% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Puako compares
Inside Hawaii, Puako sits at just the 49th percentile even though it scores 91st 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, Puako ranks 2,864 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,133 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 84 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Puako
At the 91st percentile nationally, Puako carries the very 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Puako (44%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Puako's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Puako's 2,864-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Puako's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.