Clarissa, MN
Clarissa wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Clarissa at the 46th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 463 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Clarissa's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
Clarissa's building exposure, zone by zone
62.9% of Clarissa's 463 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 37.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Clarissa compares
Compare Clarissa's two percentiles: 66th within Minnesota, only 46th nationally — a gap of 21 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clarissa ranks 17,141 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,010 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 307 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Clarissa's elevated rating (46th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Clarissa
Clarissa's 62.9% 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 Clarissa's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 463 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Clarissa. The exposure-zones guide covers what Clarissa's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.