Sumner, IA
Sumner wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sumner at the 18th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 1,430 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sumner's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 18th percentile nationally.
Where Sumner's buildings actually sit
Only 8.1% of Sumner's 1,430 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 91.9% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Where Sumner ranks
Sumner scores 18th nationally and 30th within Iowa — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sumner ranks 25,772 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,476 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 717 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sumner
Sumner's low rating (18th 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 Sumner
With 91.9% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Sumner gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Sumner's figures come from
Sumner's 18th-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 Sumner's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.