Backus, MN
How exposed is Backus to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Backus lands at the 46th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 345 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Backus at the 45th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
345 buildings are counted in Backus, and 52.2% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0.3% rated Minimal.
How Backus compares
Within Minnesota, Backus ranks higher (68th percentile) than it does nationally (46th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Backus ranks 17,017 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,449 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 297 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
Backus's elevated rating (46th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Backus (52.2%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Backus's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 345 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Backus. The exposure-zones guide covers what Backus's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.