Watson, LA
Watson, LA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Watson sits at the 25th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 583 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Watson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 25th percentile nationally.
Watson's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 59.7% of Watson's 583 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 40.3% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Watson ranks
There's little gap between Watson's 25th national percentile and its 26th percentile inside Louisiana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Watson ranks 23,535 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,062 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 362 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 25th national percentile, Watson rates moderate 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 ember exposure the dominant pattern in Watson (59.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Watson's figures come from
Watson's 25th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Watson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.