Aitkin, MN
How exposed is Aitkin to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Aitkin lands at the 53rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,351 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Aitkin at the 53rd national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Aitkin's buildings actually sit
73.6% of Aitkin's 1,351 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 26.4% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Aitkin against the rest of the country
Within Minnesota, Aitkin ranks higher (78th percentile) than it does nationally (53rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Aitkin ranks 14,749 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,825 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 197 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Aitkin
Aitkin's elevated wildfire rating (53rd percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Aitkin's 73.6% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Aitkin's figures come from
Aitkin's 53rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Aitkin's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.