Wildfire Season May Greatly Impact These U.S. Cities

In the U.S., states like California experience ash falling like rain every year due to wildfires. These weather-related events are harsh and relentless. FEMA has created a Wildfire Risk Rating to provide information on natural hazard risks to the public, government, and private sector as well as the overall costs of these events.

When estimating the annual loss from a wildfire, three factors are considered. First is exposure, which encompasses the value of buildings and the size of the population at risk. Second is annualized frequency, which measures how often wildfires are expected to occur each year. Finally, the historic loss ratio provides an estimate of the value lost based on past events.

To identify the cities with the highest wildfire risk, 24/7 Tempo analyzed natural hazard risk data for U.S. census tracts from the March 2023 FEMA National Risk Index. Cities were ranked by the average wildfire risk index score across all census tracts within their boundaries. The data was aggregated from individual census tracts to the city level using spatial boundary definitions provided by the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line program. Additional data on the total value of owner-occupied homes and population figures were sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Only cities with populations of at least 25,000 residents were included.

Here are the U.S. cities with the highest risk of wildfires:

50. Weston, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.4/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $10.3 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: -2.5%
Total population: 68,029

49. Palm Bay, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.5/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $8.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +12.7%
Total population: 121,513

48. Clermont, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.7 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +34.3%
Total population: 43,266

47. Redmond, OR

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.2 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +20.0%
Total population: 34,191

46. Lakewood Ranch, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.3 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: NA
Total population: 34,346

45. Elk River, MN

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.7/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.4%
Total population: 25,936

44. Castle Rock, CO

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.7/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $12.3 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +29.3%
Total population: 74,065

43. Bentonville, AR

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.7/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +22.2%
Total population: 54,513

42. Immokalee, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.7/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $0.6 million
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.0%
Total population: 27,753

41. Winter Garden, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 92.9/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.5 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +14.0%
Total population: 46,518

40. Perris, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 93.1/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.0 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +5.2%
Total population: 78,881

39. Bluffton, SC

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 93.2/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.7 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +71.1%
Total population: 29,375

38. Big Spring, TX

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 93.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $0.8 million
Population change, 2017 to 2022: -8.2%
Total population: 25,949

37. Poinciana, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 93.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.3 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +4.3%
Total population: 69,311

36. Drexel Heights, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 93.8/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.8 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +7.3%
Total population: 30,254

35. Carson City, NV

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +7.4%
Total population: 58,249

34. Hesperia, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +7.2%
Total population: 99,878

33. Apple Valley, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.1/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.9 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +5.1%
Total population: 75,603

32. Eagle, ID

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.3/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.5 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +29.2%
Total population: 30,635

31. Buckeye, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.4/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $8.7 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +53.1%
Total population: 95,042

30. San Jacinto, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.5/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.8 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +15.2%
Total population: 54,077

29. New Smyrna Beach, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 94.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +21.3%
Total population: 30,449

28. Weatherford, TX

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.2 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +11.6%
Total population: 32,168

27. Cedar City, UT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +18.5%
Total population: 35,812

26. Prescott Valley, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.1/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.8 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +12.0%
Total population: 47,015

25. Oro Valley, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.1/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +9.7%
Total population: 47,053

24. Herriman, UT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.1/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +73.0%
Total population: 55,301

23. Haines City, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.2/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.4 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +26.7%
Total population: 28,922

22. Yucaipa, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.8 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +2.4%
Total population: 54,428

21. Four Corners, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.2 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +51.0%
Total population: 56,537

20. Adelanto, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 95.8/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +15.5%
Total population: 37,960

19. West Odessa, TX

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $1.4 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +19.9%
Total population: 30,904

18. Fish Hawk, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.2/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.0 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +42.3%
Total population: 25,179

17. Lake Elsinore, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.3/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.8 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +12.5%
Total population: 69,993

16. Marana, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.4/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.4 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +25.9%
Total population: 52,542

15. Prescott, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.5/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $7.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +11.1%
Total population: 46,054

14. Butte-Silver Bow, MT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 96.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.7 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +3.0%
Total population: 34,638

13. French Valley, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 97.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.2 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +31.5%
Total population: 41,239

12. El Dorado Hills, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 97.4/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $13.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.8%
Total population: 49,082

11. Sahuarita, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 97.7/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.2 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +21.2%
Total population: 34,238

10. Kingman, AZ

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 97.9/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.5 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +14.5%
Total population: 33,052

9. St. George, UT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 98.4/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $11.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +20.2%
Total population: 96,174

8. Temescal Valley, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 98.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.1 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +11.1%
Total population: 28,227

7. Wildomar, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 98.8/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.0 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +3.7%
Total population: 36,822

6. Fallbrook, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 98.8/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.9 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +8.3%
Total population: 33,710

5. Horizon West, FL

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 99.0/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $6.0 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +131.0%
Total population: 58,595

4. Eagle Mountain, UT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 99.3/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $4.4 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +66.0%
Total population: 46,109

3. Beaumont, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 99.5/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $5.5 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +22.7%
Total population: 53,544

2. Washington, UT

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 99.5/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $3.6 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: +20.3%
Total population: 29,161

1. Banning, CA

FEMA wildfire risk index score: 99.6/100
Total value of owner-occupied homes: $2.3 billion
Population change, 2017 to 2022: -2.9%
Total population: 29,929