Ralston, WY
Ralston wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Ralston at the 48th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 239 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Ralston at the 45th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Ralston's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Ralston: 60.3% of its 239 buildings, versus 39.8% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Ralston compares
Ralston ranks lower within Wyoming (5th percentile statewide) than its 48th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ralston ranks 16,281 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,515 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wyoming alone, it ranks 182 of 192 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wyoming on its state page.
Ralston and the insurance market
Ralston's elevated wildfire rating (48th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Hardening a home in Ralston
Because Direct exposure dominates in Ralston (60.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Ralston's figures come from
Ralston's 48th-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 direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.