Rusk, TX
Rusk wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Rusk at the 74th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,078 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Rusk at the 74th percentile, close to its 74th-percentile risk score.
Rusk's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 51.3% of Rusk's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 48.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 1,065 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Rusk ranks
Inside Texas, Rusk sits at just the 43rd percentile even though it scores 74th 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, Rusk ranks 8,208 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,262 by building count (1 is largest). Within Texas alone, it ranks 1,027 of 1,795 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Texas on its state page.
Rusk and the insurance market
At the 74th percentile nationally, Rusk carries the 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 Rusk (51.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Rusk's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,078 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Rusk. The exposure-zones guide covers what Rusk's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.