Allen, MI
Allen wildfire risk explained
Allen sits at the 9th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 166 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Allen at the 9th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
57.8% of Allen's 166 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 96 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 16.9% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 25.3% are Minimal.
Where Allen ranks
Allen's 27th-percentile standing inside Michigan outpaces its 9th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Allen ranks 28,809 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,172 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 545 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Allen and the insurance market
Allen's low rating (9th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 57.8% of Allen in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 166 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Allen. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Allen, see the exposure-zones guide.