Elkton, SD
Elkton wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Elkton lands at the 45th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 484 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Elkton at the 41st national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Elkton's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Elkton's buildings (65.9% of 484) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Elkton compares
Elkton ranks lower within South Dakota (20th percentile statewide) than its 45th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Elkton ranks 17,439 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,639 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 349 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Elkton
Elkton's elevated wildfire rating (45th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Even with 65.9% of Elkton outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Elkton's 45th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Elkton, see the exposure-zones guide.