Runnells, IA
Runnells wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Runnells at the 57th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 268 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Runnells at the 57th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Runnells's building exposure, zone by zone
268 buildings are counted in Runnells, and 72% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 27.6% in Direct exposure or the 0.4% rated Minimal.
Runnells against the rest of the country
Runnells's 79th-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, Runnells ranks 13,390 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,564 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 210 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Runnells and the insurance market
Runnells'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.
Hardening a home in Runnells
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Runnells (72% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Runnells's figures come from
Runnells'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 Runnells's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.