Arlee, MT
Arlee wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Arlee at the 88th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 554 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Arlee's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 89th percentile nationally.
Where Arlee's buildings actually sit
554 buildings are counted in Arlee, and 66.8% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Arlee against the rest of the country
Arlee ranks lower within Montana (72nd percentile statewide) than its 88th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Arlee ranks 3,687 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,519 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 132 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Arlee
At the 88th percentile nationally, Arlee carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Arlee's 66.8% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Arlee's 3,687-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Arlee, see the exposure-zones guide.