Storm Lake, IA
Storm Lake, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Storm Lake sits at the 13th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 3,893 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Storm Lake's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 10th percentile nationally.
Storm Lake's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Storm Lake's buildings (96.7% of 3,893) 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.
Storm Lake against the rest of the country
Storm Lake's risk sits at a similar level relative to Iowa (23rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (13th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Storm Lake ranks 27,476 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,342 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 786 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
At the 13th national percentile, Storm Lake rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Storm Lake's 96.7% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Storm Lake's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,893 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Storm Lake. The exposure-zones guide covers what Storm Lake's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.