Wesley, IA
Wesley wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Wesley at the 1st national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 332 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Wesley at the 1st national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Wesley's building exposure, zone by zone
75.6% of Wesley's 332 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 24.4% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Wesley ranks
Wesley scores 1st nationally and 0th within Iowa — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wesley ranks 31,339 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,758 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 1,015 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 1st national percentile, Wesley rates low 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
Even with 75.6% of Wesley outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Wesley's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 332 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Wesley. The exposure-zones guide covers what Wesley's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.