Townsend, WI
How exposed is Townsend to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Townsend at the 18th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 321 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Townsend at the 17th percentile, close to its 18th-percentile risk score.
Where Townsend's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 54.8% of Townsend's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 42.1% Indirect share and far above its 3.1% Minimal share — a profile where 176 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Townsend ranks
Townsend scores 18th nationally and 23rd within Wisconsin — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Townsend ranks 26,018 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,081 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 620 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Townsend
Townsend's low wildfire rating (18th 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.
Hardening a home in Townsend
With 54.8% of Townsend in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Townsend's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 321 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Townsend. The exposure-zones guide covers what Townsend's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.