Santa Monica, TX
Santa Monica, TX's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Santa Monica at the 43rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 60 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Santa Monica's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 43rd percentile nationally.
Where Santa Monica's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Santa Monica: 73.3% of its 60 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 26.7% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Santa Monica ranks
Santa Monica's 43rd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 4th ranking inside Texas does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 39 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Santa Monica ranks 18,010 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,666 by building count (1 is largest). Within Texas alone, it ranks 1,724 of 1,795 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Texas on its state page.
Santa Monica and the insurance market
Santa Monica's elevated wildfire rating (43rd 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.
Hardening a home in Santa Monica
Because Direct exposure dominates in Santa Monica (73.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Santa Monica's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 60 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Santa Monica. The exposure-zones guide covers what Santa Monica's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.