Ashton, SD
Ashton wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Ashton lands at the 58th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 146 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Ashton at the 55th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Ashton's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 68.5% of Ashton's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 31.5% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Where Ashton ranks
Ashton's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Dakota (43rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (58th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ashton ranks 13,280 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,046 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 251 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Ashton
Ashton's elevated wildfire rating (58th 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.
Hardening a home in Ashton
Even with 68.5% of Ashton 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 Ashton's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Ashton's 13,280-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ashton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.