Cook, MN
Cook, MN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Cook at the 47th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 518 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cook at the 47th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Cook's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Cook (62.6% of 518 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 37.5% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Cook ranks
Within Minnesota, Cook ranks higher (70th percentile) than it does nationally (47th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cook ranks 16,577 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,055 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 272 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
Cook's elevated rating (47th 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 Cook
Cook's 62.6% 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 Cook's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 518 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cook. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cook's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.