South Tucson, AZ
South Tucson, AZ's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores South Tucson at the 49th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,025 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts South Tucson at the 44th percentile, close to its 49th-percentile risk score.
Where South Tucson's buildings actually sit
Only 0.8% of South Tucson's 2,025 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 99.2% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
South Tucson against the rest of the country
South Tucson ranks lower within Arizona (17th percentile statewide) than its 49th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Tucson ranks 16,093 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,397 by building count (1 is largest). Within Arizona alone, it ranks 365 of 441 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Arizona on its state page.
South Tucson and the insurance market
South Tucson's elevated rating (49th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in South Tucson
Even with 99.2% of South Tucson 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 South Tucson's figures come from
South Tucson's 49th-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 South Tucson's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.