Tonopah, NV
How exposed is Tonopah to wildfire?
USFS scores Tonopah at the 19th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 1,607 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Tonopah's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 16th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Tonopah (78.3% of 1,607 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 21.7% sit in the Direct zone.
How Tonopah compares
Tonopah ranks lower within Nevada (3rd percentile statewide) than its 19th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Tonopah ranks 25,691 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,742 by building count (1 is largest). Within Nevada alone, it ranks 120 of 123 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Nevada on its state page.
Tonopah and the insurance market
Tonopah's low wildfire rating (19th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Tonopah's 78.3% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Tonopah's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,607 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Tonopah. The exposure-zones guide covers what Tonopah's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.