Big Bend, WI
Big Bend, WI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Big Bend lands at the 34th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 945 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Big Bend's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 59.2% of Big Bend's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 40.9% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
How Big Bend compares
Compare Big Bend's two percentiles: 76th within Wisconsin, only 34th nationally — a gap of 43 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Bend ranks 20,974 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,348 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 192 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Big Bend and the insurance market
At the 34th national percentile, Big Bend 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 59.2% of Big Bend 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 Big Bend's figures come from
Big Bend's 34th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Big Bend's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.