Butler, SD
Butler wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Butler at the 52nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 25 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Butler's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 50th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Of Butler's 25 counted buildings, 100% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Butler ranks
Butler's 52nd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 33rd ranking inside South Dakota does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 19 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Butler ranks 15,174 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,419 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 296 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Butler
At the 52nd national percentile, Butler rates elevated 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
With 100% of Butler in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 25 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Butler. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Butler, see the exposure-zones guide.