Clearwater, MN
Clearwater, MN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Clearwater's 737 buildings earn a 46th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Clearwater at the 46th percentile, close to its 46th-percentile risk score.
Clearwater's building exposure, zone by zone
83.7% of Clearwater's 737 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 16% Direct and 0.3% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Clearwater compares
Clearwater's 67th-percentile standing inside Minnesota outpaces its 46th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clearwater ranks 17,142 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,246 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 308 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
Clearwater's elevated wildfire rating (46th 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
Clearwater's 83.7% 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 Clearwater's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Clearwater's 17,142-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Clearwater's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.