Walker, CA
Walker wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Walker at the 95th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 828 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Walker's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 94th percentile nationally.
Where Walker's buildings actually sit
828 buildings are counted in Walker, and 98.9% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Walker ranks
Walker's 95th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 73rd ranking inside California does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 22 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Walker ranks 1,664 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 13,364 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 425 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Walker
Because Walker is in California, a wildfire-hazard disclosure is legally required before a sale closes here — unusual nationally, since only these two states mandate it. The state's FAIR Plan alone carried 668,609 policies by the end of 2025. Full detail in the disclosure-law guide.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Walker (98.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Walker's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 828 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Walker. The exposure-zones guide covers what Walker's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.