Thurston, NE
How exposed is Thurston to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Thurston lands at the 65th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 129 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Thurston at the 59th national percentile — 7 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Thurston's buildings (74.4% of 129) 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.
Thurston against the rest of the country
Thurston scores 65th nationally and 59th within Nebraska — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Thurston ranks 10,944 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,758 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nebraska alone, it ranks 242 of 583 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nebraska on its state page.
Thurston and the insurance market
At the 65th percentile nationally, Thurston 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.
Hardening a home in Thurston
With 74.4% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Thurston gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Thurston's figures come from
Thurston's 65th-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 Thurston's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.