Elk Point, SD
Elk Point wildfire risk explained
Elk Point's 1,082 buildings earn a 56th-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.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Elk Point at the 50th national percentile — 6 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Elk Point's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Elk Point (77.7% of 1,082 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 12.9% sit in the Direct zone.
How Elk Point compares
Inside South Dakota, Elk Point sits at just the 38th percentile even though it scores 56th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elk Point ranks 14,040 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,398 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 272 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Elk Point and the insurance market
At the 56th national percentile, Elk Point rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Elk Point
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Elk Point (77.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Elk Point's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Elk Point's 14,040-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Elk Point's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.