Belknap, MT
Belknap wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Belknap lands at the 87th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 177 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Belknap at the 85th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Belknap's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 100% of Belknap's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 177 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Belknap ranks
Inside Montana, Belknap sits at just the 68th percentile even though it scores 87th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belknap ranks 4,037 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,756 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 153 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Belknap
At the 87th percentile nationally, Belknap 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
With 100% of Belknap in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Belknap's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 177 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Belknap. The exposure-zones guide covers what Belknap's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.