Somerset, KY
Somerset wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Somerset lands at the 64th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 6,269 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Somerset at the 68th national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Somerset's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Somerset's buildings (61.3% of 6,269) 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. At 6,269 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Somerset against the rest of the country
Within Kentucky, Somerset ranks higher (83rd percentile) than it does nationally (64th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Somerset ranks 11,345 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,765 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kentucky alone, it ranks 93 of 552 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kentucky on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Somerset
At the 64th percentile nationally, Somerset carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Somerset
Even with 61.3% of Somerset outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Somerset's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 6,269 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Somerset. The exposure-zones guide covers what Somerset's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.