San Miguel, NM
How exposed is San Miguel to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts San Miguel at the 45th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 533 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, San Miguel's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 46th percentile nationally.
Where San Miguel's buildings actually sit
57% of San Miguel's 533 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 304 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 43% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
San Miguel against the rest of the country
San Miguel's 45th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 12th ranking inside New Mexico does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 33 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, San Miguel ranks 17,400 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,827 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 438 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
San Miguel and the insurance market
San Miguel's elevated wildfire rating (45th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in San Miguel (57%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 533 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for San Miguel. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond San Miguel, see the exposure-zones guide.