Sausal, NM
How exposed is Sausal to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Sausal lands at the 55th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 669 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Sausal at the 54th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Sausal's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Sausal's 669 counted buildings, 87.4% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Sausal ranks
Sausal ranks lower within New Mexico (23rd percentile statewide) than its 55th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sausal ranks 14,123 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,976 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 381 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sausal
Sausal's elevated rating (55th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 87.4% of Sausal 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.
More on how this number was built
Sausal's 55th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Sausal, see the exposure-zones guide.