Sandusky, IA
Sandusky, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Sandusky's 219 buildings earn a 57th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Sandusky at the 60th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 92.7% of Sandusky's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 5% Indirect share and far above its 2.3% Minimal share — a profile where 203 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Sandusky against the rest of the country
Within Iowa, Sandusky ranks higher (79th percentile) than it does nationally (57th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sandusky ranks 13,459 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,157 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 212 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sandusky
Sandusky'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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 92.7% of Sandusky in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Sandusky's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Sandusky's 13,459-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sandusky's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.