Bowdle, SD
Bowdle, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Bowdle lands at the 60th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 444 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bowdle at the 54th national percentile — 6 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Bowdle's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Bowdle (84.2% of 444 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 15.3% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Bowdle ranks
Bowdle scores 60th nationally and 47th 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, Bowdle ranks 12,652 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,389 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 232 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Bowdle and the insurance market
Bowdle's elevated wildfire rating (60th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Bowdle's 84.2% 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 Bowdle's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 444 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bowdle. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bowdle's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.