Top 5 States with the Highest Wildfire Risk
- Craig Kaiser
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
Each year, tens of millions of acres burn across the country, threatening structures, suppressing property values, and driving homeowners insurance rates higher - or out of the market entirely. In 2024 alone, over 64,000 wildfires were reported nationwide, burning nearly 9 million acres. This post breaks down the five states with the wildfire risk and explains what landowners, buyers, and real estate professionals can do to assess exposure before it becomes a problem.
Which States Have the Highest Wildfire Risk?
The states most prone to wildfires are California, Oregon, Colorado, Texas, and Arizona. These states share several characteristics that increase wildfire risk, including vast areas of flammable vegetation, dry climates, and frequent high winds.
Curious about your property's wildfire risk? Find your parcel on LandApp's map to get a free property report, which rates wildfire risk on a scale of 0 to 100 by compiling hundreds of data points into one easily understandable metric:
1) California
California is the highest-risk state for wildfires in the U.S. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported over 8,000 wildfires in 2024 alone, burning more than 1 million acres. The state accounts for over 40% of all burned acres in recent wildfire seasons and leads the country with approximately 2.1 million homes classified as wildfire-prone - nearly three times the number in any other state.
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton Fires near Los Angeles are a stark reminder of how quickly urban-adjacent properties can be at risk. Those two fires alone destroyed more than 13,500 structures and resulted in over $40 billion in insured losses. Insurers have responded by pulling back from the state entirely. The California FAIR Plan (the state's insurer of last resort) saw its policy count more than double between 2020 and 2024, surpassing 452,000 policies.
Key drivers of California's wildfire risk:
Mediterranean climate with long, hot, dry summers
Santa Ana winds capable of pushing fires dozens of miles overnight
Dense WUI development in counties like Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego
Over 1.2 million homes in very high fire hazard severity zones
2) Oregon
Oregon has the second-highest risk for wildfires in the nation. In 2024, Oregon set a new state record for acres burned: nearly 1.9 million acres lost across 2,039 wildfires, which was the most destructive wildfire season in the state's recorded history. The Oregon legislature convened a special session specifically to approve $218 million in emergency wildfire response funding.
Central, Eastern, and Southern Oregon bear the heaviest burden, with large stretches of high-elevation forest meeting dry, wind-prone valleys. Major insurers have significantly reduced coverage availability in these areas, and premiums have spiked sharply for those who can still find coverage.
Key drivers of Oregon's wildfire risk:
Enormous stretches of conifer forest across the Cascades and Eastern Oregon
Persistent summer drought conditions
Reduced snowpack due to warming temperatures (reducing moisture in vegetation)
Growing WUI communities in counties like Jackson, Klamath, and Deschutes
3) Colorado
Colorado also faces a high wildfire risk, driven primarily by the density of homes in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). It ranks 2nd nationally for homes at extreme wildfire risk, with over 321,000 housing units classified in that category. The Denver-Boulder metro and communities along the Front Range push residential development directly into fire-prone pine and scrub oak terrain.
Financially, Colorado ranks 2nd for total estimated damage from billion-dollar wildfire events, trailing only California, with $7.2 billion in losses from 12 such events between 1980 and 2024. Average insurance premiums in wildfire-prone foothill communities like Evergreen and Boulder have surged nearly 60% in five years, and several major carriers have reduced their presence in the state.
Key drivers of Colorado's wildfire risk:
High-density WUI development along the Front Range
Low humidity and regular drought conditions
Strong average wind speeds capable of extreme fire weather in short windows
History of catastrophic fires, including the 2021 Marshall Fire, which was the most destructive in state history
4) Texas
Texas has the fourth-highest wildfire risk in the country. Texas is the nation’s second-largest state, so its sheer scale means that wildfire events can be enormous. In 2024, Texas recorded approximately 671,800 acres burned.
The Panhandle and West Texas are especially vulnerable because vast stretches of dry grassland can carry fire hundreds of miles under the right wind conditions. The February 2024 Smokehouse Creek Fire was the largest in Texas history, burning over 1 million acres across the Texas Panhandle.
Texas also stands out because wildfire risk extends beyond forested areas into agricultural land, rural ranch properties, and increasingly, suburban fringe communities.
Key drivers of Texas's wildfire risk:
Vast, dry grasslands and sparse tree cover across the Panhandle and West Texas
Southern Plains wind patterns that can carry fires rapidly across flat terrain
Extended drought conditions worsened by La Niña cycles
Large rural land holdings and ranch properties exposed to grass fire risk
5) Arizona
Arizona rounds out the top five, with over 124,000 housing units classified at extreme wildfire risk. The state experiences year-round fire risk, like desert fires ignite earlier in spring and forest fires in the higher elevations follow through summer. Climate change has reduced snowpack and pushed snowmelt earlier, extending the effective fire season across both desert and mountain terrain.
Cities like Flagstaff and communities along the Mogollon Rim face persistent fire exposure. Flagstaff itself sits among the nation's top 15 metro areas for the number of homes with moderate-to-high wildfire risk, according to Cotality's 2025 Wildfire Risk Report.
Key drivers of Arizona's wildfire risk:
Fire risk zones span from Sonoran Desert grasslands to ponderosa pine forests
Monsoon season can increase vegetation growth, increasing fuel load for the following dry season
Growing WUI communities in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Coconino counties
Drought-prone climate with increasing frequency of extreme heat events
Which States Have the Lowest Wildfire Risk?
While wildfires can occur anywhere, the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut generally have the lowest wildfire risk. These states have higher annual rainfall, fewer drought conditions, and less flammable vegetation.
What This Means for Landowners, Buyers, and Investors
Understanding which states carry the highest wildfire risk is a starting point, but risk varies dramatically from one parcel to the next. A property in a mountain meadow behaves very differently than a lot tucked into a south-facing canyon, even within the same county.
That's why parcel-level data matters. LandApp's Risk Index Scores evaluate the specific conditions of individual properties (not just regional averages) giving you a 0-to-100 wildfire risk score backed by hundreds of underlying data points.
For landowners: Knowing your property's wildfire risk score helps you take proactive steps to protect your land from wildfires like fire mitigation, vegetation management, and insurance planning before an event occurs.
For buyers and investors: Running a wildfire risk check on any property you're considering in a high-risk state is as essential as reviewing the title or checking the flood zone. Wildfire exposure affects insurability, long-term value, and your exit options.
For real estate professionals: LandApp's wildfire risk data gives you a defensible, data-backed way to discuss risk with clients, disclose relevant information, and differentiate your service.
How to Check Your Property’s Wildfire Risk
LandApp makes it simple to assess wildfire exposure for any property in the country for free.
Get a Free Property Report to see your property's wildfire risk score on a scale of 0 to 100, alongside LandApp's full suite of Risk Index Scores covering flood, contamination, and more.
Create a Free Account to explore LandApp's Wildfire Risk Index Heatmap. This is a nationwide, interactive map layer that lets you visualize wildfire exposure across any area of the country, right down to the parcel level.
No subscription required to get started. LandApp Pro users also gain access to unlimited Property Reports and nationwide ownership and assessor data to support deeper due diligence.