Clear Lake (Marshall), SD
Clear Lake (Marshall), SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Clear Lake (Marshall) lands at the 74th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 275 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Clear Lake (Marshall)'s burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 72nd percentile nationally.
Clear Lake (Marshall)'s building exposure, zone by zone
66.9% of Clear Lake (Marshall)'s 275 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 184 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 3.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 29.8% are Minimal.
How Clear Lake (Marshall) compares
There's little gap between Clear Lake (Marshall)'s 74th national percentile and its 72nd percentile inside South Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clear Lake (Marshall) ranks 8,264 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,374 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 124 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Clear Lake (Marshall) and the insurance market
At the 74th percentile nationally, Clear Lake (Marshall) 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 66.9% of Clear Lake (Marshall) 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.
Where Clear Lake (Marshall)'s figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Clear Lake (Marshall)'s 8,264-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Clear Lake (Marshall)'s dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.