Housing and Climate Resource Library

Wildfire Resources

This page is about the risk and vulnerability of wildfires. Wildfires not only pose a direct risk to homes in their immediate path but also create poor air quality that can often affect a very wide geographic area. When there is poor outdoor air quality (such as due to a wildfire), residents are often advised to stay inside. Outdoor air quality is also linked to and impacts indoor air quality.

Relevant variables for this topic include projected wildfire risk, risks to homes, exposure, wildfire likelihood, and vulnerable populations.

Datasets/Data Explorers

Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool  
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) received direct orders from President Biden in January 2021 to develop the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool is an interactive geospatial mapping tool that uses census tracts to identify disadvantaged communities with climate, environmental, and other burdens. Note: This is an archived copy of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool intended only for reference purposes; it is not a functional data explorer.

• Dataset owner: The White House Council on Environmental Quality.
• Dataset update frequency/maintenance: The first version of the tool was released November 22, 2022. The tool was scheduled to be updated each year by the Council on Environmental Quality with input from public feedback, research, and new data. This screening tool uses various datasets as burden indicators.
• Dataset jurisdictions included: The tool covers the whole United States including the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
• Dataset overview/general description: The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool is a geospatial mapping tool that uses census tracts to identify disadvantage communities with climate, environmental, and other burdens.
• Specific climate and housing variables:
  • Name of variable: Projected flood risk/Greater than or equal to the 90th percentile for share of properties at risk of flood in 30 years and is low income?
    • What the variable measures: Communities are disadvantaged if they are in census tracts that are at or above the 90th percentile for projected flood risk and are at or able the 65th percentile for low income.
    • Variable source(s): 2022 Climate Risk Data Access. First Street Foundation is the owner of the dataset.
  • Name of variable: Projected wildfire risk/Greater than or equal to the 90th percentile for share of properties at risk of fire in 30 years and is low income?
    • What the variable measures: Communities are disadvantaged if they are in census tracts that are at or above the 90th percentile for projected wildfire risk and are at or able the 65th percentile for low income.
    • Variable source(s): 2022 Climate Risk Data Access. First Street Foundation is the owner of the dataset.
  • Name of variable: Energy/greater than or equal to the 90th percentile for energy burden and is low income?
    • What the variable measures: Communities are disadvantaged if they are in census tracts that are at or above the 90th percentile for projected energy cost or PM_2.5 in the air and are at or above the 65th percentile for low income.
    • Variable source(s): Department of Energy (DOE) is the original owner of the dataset, but it is no longer available on DOE’s website. An archived copy of the 2022 data is available here.

Wildfire Risk to Communities  
Under the guidance of Congress in the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the USDA created Wildfire Risk to Communities, a free website that includes interactive maps, charts, and resources to help the public understand their wildfire risk. Housing is the focus of this data source.

• Dataset owner: USDA Forest Service.
• Dataset update frequency/maintenance: A full update of the data was scheduled for late 2023.
• Dataset jurisdictions included: Covers the entire U.S. at the ZIP code, community, tribal, county, and state levels.
• Specific climate and housing variables: 
  • Name of variable: Risk to Homes.
    • What the variable measures: Relative risk to a house for every location on the landscape.
    • Variable source (if the dataset pulls from multiple sources): Includes simulation modeling of wildfire likelihood and wildfire intensity.
  • Name of variable: Exposure.
    • What the variable measures: Whether a home is directly or indirectly exposed to wildfire.
    • Variable source(s): This is a calculation of wildfire likelihood and proximity to large flammable vegetation areas.
  • Name of variable: Wildfire Likelihood.
    • What the variable measures: The possibility of a wildfire burning in any year.
    • Variable source(s): Calculated based on fire behavior modeling.
  • Name of variable: Vulnerable Populations.
    • What the variable measures: Social and economic factors that influence a population’s vulnerability to wildfires.
    • Variable source(s): U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

 

Latest page update: May 7, 2025.