Dalton, WI
Dalton, WI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Dalton sits at the 45th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 188 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Dalton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 46th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 71.3% of Dalton's 188 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 28.7% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Dalton ranks
Dalton's 95th-percentile standing inside Wisconsin outpaces its 45th 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, Dalton ranks 17,447 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,337 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 39 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 45th national percentile, Dalton rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Dalton's 71.3% 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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Dalton's 17,447-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Dalton, see the exposure-zones guide.