East Helena, MT
East Helena, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts East Helena at the 63rd national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,283 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks East Helena at the 60th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where East Helena's buildings actually sit
Most of East Helena's buildings (96%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Where East Helena ranks
East Helena ranks lower within Montana (29th percentile statewide) than its 63rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, East Helena ranks 11,759 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,180 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 336 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
East Helena's high rating (63rd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in East Helena (96% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
East Helena's 63rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond East Helena, see the exposure-zones guide.