Sheldahl, IA
How exposed is Sheldahl to wildfire?
Sheldahl sits at the 3rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 273 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sheldahl's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 2nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Sheldahl's buildings (66.3% of 273) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Where Sheldahl ranks
Sheldahl's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (4th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (3rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sheldahl ranks 30,740 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,418 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 980 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Sheldahl's low wildfire rating (3rd 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
Sheldahl's 66.3% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Sheldahl's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 273 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sheldahl. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sheldahl's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.