Berthold, ND
Berthold wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Berthold lands at the 23rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 389 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Berthold at the 20th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Berthold's buildings actually sit
Only 17% of Berthold's 389 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 83% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Where Berthold ranks
Berthold's 23rd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 7th ranking inside North Dakota does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 15 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Berthold ranks 24,401 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,430 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 373 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Berthold
At the 23rd national percentile, Berthold rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 83% of Berthold 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 Berthold's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 389 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Berthold. The exposure-zones guide covers what Berthold's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.