Bison, SD
How exposed is Bison to wildfire?
Bison sits at the 71st percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 335 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Bison at the 69th percentile, close to its 71st-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 77% of Bison's 335 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 23% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Bison against the rest of the country
Bison scores 71st nationally and 67th within South Dakota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bison ranks 9,241 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,707 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 146 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 71st percentile nationally, Bison carries the 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.
Hardening a home in Bison
Bison's 77% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Bison's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 335 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bison. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bison's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.