Benzonia, MI
Benzonia, MI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Benzonia at the 24th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 343 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Benzonia's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 24th percentile nationally.
Where Benzonia's buildings actually sit
343 buildings are counted in Benzonia, and 72.6% 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.
Where Benzonia ranks
Within Michigan, Benzonia ranks higher (73rd percentile) than it does nationally (24th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Benzonia ranks 24,108 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,486 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 202 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Benzonia and the insurance market
At the 24th national percentile, Benzonia rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With 72.6% of Benzonia 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 343 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Benzonia. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Benzonia, see the exposure-zones guide.