Alpha, MN
Alpha, MN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Alpha lands at the 12th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 154 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Alpha's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 9th percentile nationally.
Where Alpha's buildings actually sit
Alpha rates 73.4% Minimal exposure against just 26.6% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 154 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
Alpha against the rest of the country
Alpha's risk sits at a similar level relative to Minnesota (16th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (12th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Alpha ranks 27,833 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,703 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 772 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Alpha's low wildfire rating (12th 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
Even with 73.4% of Alpha outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Alpha's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 154 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Alpha. The exposure-zones guide covers what Alpha's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.