Sibley, IA
How exposed is Sibley to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sibley at the 17th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 1,660 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sibley's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 14th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
90% of Sibley's 1,660 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 10% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Sibley ranks
Sibley's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (27th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (17th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sibley ranks 26,157 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,564 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 739 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
Sibley's low rating (17th 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 90% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Sibley gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,660 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sibley. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Sibley, see the exposure-zones guide.