Report: 10 of Top U.S. Metros at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire Are in California (2024)

Ten of the top 15 metropolitan areas for wildfire risk concentration are in California, while more than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk of wildfire damage during the 2024 wildfire season, a new report shows.

The 2024 CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report found the western U.S. has the greatest wildfire risk, with California, Colorado and Texas comprising 70% of the risk.

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The report from the Irvine, California-based catastrophe modeler and property data provider lists following states as having the highest number of homes at moderate or greater risk of wildfire exposure:

1. California: 1,258,748 homes at risk
2. Colorado: 321,294 homes at risk
3. Texas: 244,617 homes at risk
4. Oregon: 129,567 homes at risk
5. Arizona: 124,603 homes at risk

The elevated level of risk in those states was largely due to the high number of homes in undeveloped areas, or with exposure to Wildland-Urban Interface.

Ten of the top 15 metropolitan areas for wildfire risk concentration are in California, and the top four are in the state.

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The Los Angeles metropolitan area led the nation with the highest number of homes at risk, with more than 245,000 homes with a total reconstruction value of $186.6 billion at moderate or greater risk of wildfire. Riverside (210,859), San Diego (138,600) and Sacramento (100,814) followed on the list.

Austin (94,673) and San Antonio (78,207) were two Texas cities on the list of top metros with the most homes at risk from wildfires.

If the 2.6 million-plus are at moderate or greater risk,1.2 million homes have very high wildfire risk, the report shows.

Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters USA Wildfire