White Cliffs, NM
How exposed is White Cliffs to wildfire?
USFS scores White Cliffs at the 32nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 146 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, White Cliffs's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 28th percentile nationally.
Where White Cliffs's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in White Cliffs: 99.3% of its 146 buildings, versus 0.7% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where White Cliffs ranks
White Cliffs's 32nd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 3rd ranking inside New Mexico does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 29 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, White Cliffs ranks 21,398 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,035 by building count (1 is largest). Within New Mexico alone, it ranks 480 of 495 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New Mexico on its state page.
White Cliffs and the insurance market
At the 32nd national percentile, White Cliffs 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in White Cliffs (99.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 146 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for White Cliffs. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond White Cliffs, see the exposure-zones guide.