Stapleton, NE
How exposed is Stapleton to wildfire?
USFS scores Stapleton at the 87th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 300 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Stapleton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 84th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
80.3% of Stapleton's 300 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 19.7% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Stapleton against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Stapleton's 87th national percentile and its 95th percentile inside Nebraska, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Stapleton ranks 4,095 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,640 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 32 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 87th percentile nationally, Stapleton carries the very 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Stapleton (80.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Stapleton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 300 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Stapleton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Stapleton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.