Ralston, NE
Ralston, NE's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Ralston at the 57th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,579 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ralston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
Ralston's building exposure, zone by zone
Only 1.9% of Ralston's 2,579 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 98.1% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
How Ralston compares
Ralston scores 57th nationally and 45th 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, Ralston ranks 13,589 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,142 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 321 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
At the 57th national percentile, Ralston rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Even with 98.1% of Ralston outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Ralston's figures come from
Ralston's 57th-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 Ralston's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.