Ute, IA
How exposed is Ute to wildfire?
Ute sits at the 42nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 302 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 Ute at the 41st percentile, close to its 42nd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Ute's buildings (76.5% of 302) 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.
Where Ute ranks
Ute's 58th-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 42nd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ute ranks 18,238 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,571 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 428 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Ute and the insurance market
At the 42nd national percentile, Ute rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 76.5% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Ute gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Ute's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 302 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Ute. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ute's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.