Tatum, TX
How exposed is Tatum to wildfire?
Tatum sits at the 75th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 796 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Tatum at the 76th percentile, close to its 75th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
61.7% of Tatum's 796 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 491 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 38.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Tatum against the rest of the country
Inside Texas, Tatum sits at just the 47th percentile even though it scores 75th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Tatum ranks 7,767 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,678 by building count (1 is largest). Within Texas alone, it ranks 948 of 1,795 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Texas on its state page.
Tatum and the insurance market
At the 75th percentile nationally, Tatum carries the 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Tatum (61.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Tatum's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 796 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Tatum. The exposure-zones guide covers what Tatum's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.