Ranchettes’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ranchettes gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #11 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then wildfire (21%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1981.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Ranchettes faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Hail
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Ranchettes’ grade
River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ranchettes, and Ranchettes’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 21%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #11 of 28 in Wyoming; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ranchettes’ residents live in 7 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wyoming town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ranchettes has less expected damage per building than 63% of Wyoming towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Ranchettes: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ranchettes flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ranchettes, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ranchettes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Laramie County.The storms Ranchettes remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Laramie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ranchettes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19822 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Hail and Flooding, declared for Laramie County
Laramie County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Laramie County, 2024–2024.
Old photos of Ranchettes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ranchettes archive →Ranchettes and its neighbors
Ranchettes is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 105 |
| Ranchettes | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Ranchettes faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Ranchettes
Is Ranchettes at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ranchettes has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #11 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and wildfire (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ranchettes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Ranchettes since 1981, $29K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ranchettes in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Laramie County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ranchettes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ranchettes’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ranchettes at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Ranchettes’ rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ranchettes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ranchettes’ residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.