Barton Hills, MI
Barton Hills wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Barton Hills at the 15th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 174 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Barton Hills at the 17th national percentile — 2 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
174 buildings are counted in Barton Hills, and 96% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 4% rated Minimal.
Where Barton Hills ranks
Within Michigan, Barton Hills ranks higher (53rd percentile) than it does nationally (15th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Barton Hills ranks 26,664 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,860 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 349 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Barton Hills and the insurance market
Barton Hills's low rating (15th 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 Barton Hills (96%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Barton Hills's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 174 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Barton Hills. The exposure-zones guide covers what Barton Hills's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.