Red Oak, IA
Red Oak wildfire risk explained
Red Oak sits at the 57th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 3,360 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Red Oak at the 56th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Red Oak's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Red Oak's buildings (86.6% of 3,360) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Red Oak compares
Red Oak's 78th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 57th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Red Oak ranks 13,670 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,971 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 225 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Red Oak's elevated rating (57th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 86.6% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Red Oak gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Red Oak's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,360 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Red Oak. The exposure-zones guide covers what Red Oak's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.