Bridgewater, SD
Bridgewater, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Bridgewater sits at the 42nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 430 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bridgewater at the 39th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
66.3% of Bridgewater's 430 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 33.7% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Bridgewater ranks
Bridgewater ranks lower within South Dakota (16th percentile statewide) than its 42nd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bridgewater ranks 18,357 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,659 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 367 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Bridgewater
Bridgewater's elevated rating (42nd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 66.3% of Bridgewater 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.
More on how this number was built
Bridgewater's 42nd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Bridgewater, see the exposure-zones guide.