Stanford, CA
How exposed is Stanford to wildfire?
USFS scores Stanford at the 67th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,726 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Stanford's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 70th percentile nationally.
Where Stanford's buildings actually sit
1,726 buildings are counted in Stanford, and 65.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 20.8% in Direct exposure or the 13.7% rated Minimal.
How Stanford compares
Stanford ranks lower within California (24th percentile statewide) than its 67th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Stanford ranks 10,360 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,316 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,188 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Stanford and the insurance market
Because Stanford is in California, a wildfire-hazard disclosure is legally required before a sale closes here — unusual nationally, since only these two states mandate it. The state's FAIR Plan alone carried 668,609 policies by the end of 2025. Full detail in the disclosure-law guide.
What would actually reduce this score
Stanford's 65.5% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Stanford's figures come from
Stanford's 67th-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 Stanford's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.