Sanderson, TX
How exposed is Sanderson to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sanderson at the 91st national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 995 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Sanderson at the 91st percentile, close to its 91st-percentile risk score.
Where Sanderson's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Sanderson (70.7% of 995 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 29.4% sit in the Direct zone.
How Sanderson compares
Sanderson's risk sits at a similar level relative to Texas (88th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (91st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sanderson ranks 2,723 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,976 by building count (1 is largest). Within Texas alone, it ranks 222 of 1,795 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Texas on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sanderson
At the 91st percentile nationally, Sanderson carries the very 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Sanderson (70.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Sanderson's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 995 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sanderson. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sanderson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.