Waldo, KS
Waldo, KS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Waldo sits at the 53rd 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 103 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 Waldo at the 52nd percentile, close to its 53rd-percentile risk score.
Where Waldo's buildings actually sit
45.6% of Waldo's 103 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 47 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 15.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 38.8% are Minimal.
Where Waldo ranks
Waldo scores 53rd nationally and 39th within Kansas — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waldo ranks 14,684 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,895 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 443 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Waldo's elevated rating (53rd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 45.6% of Waldo 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.
More on how this number was built
Waldo's 53rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Waldo, see the exposure-zones guide.