Copemish, MI
Copemish wildfire risk explained
Copemish sits at the 34th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 187 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Copemish's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 34th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
52.9% of Copemish's 187 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 99 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 47.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Copemish compares
Copemish's 86th-percentile standing inside Michigan outpaces its 34th 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, Copemish ranks 20,796 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,351 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 108 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Copemish's moderate wildfire rating (34th 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Copemish (52.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Copemish's figures come from
Copemish's 34th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Copemish's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.