Sardis, AR
How exposed is Sardis to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sardis at the 60th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 476 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sardis's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
Sardis's building exposure, zone by zone
97.5% of Sardis's 476 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 464 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Sardis against the rest of the country
Sardis's 60th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 41st ranking inside Arkansas does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 19 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sardis ranks 12,753 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,774 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arkansas alone, it ranks 366 of 614 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arkansas on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Sardis's elevated wildfire rating (60th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Sardis (97.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Sardis's figures come from
Sardis's 60th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sardis's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.