Ellendale, MN
Ellendale wildfire risk explained
Ellendale sits at the 6th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 388 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Ellendale at the 5th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Ellendale rates 90% Minimal exposure against just 10.1% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 388 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
How Ellendale compares
Ellendale's risk sits at a similar level relative to Minnesota (9th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (6th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ellendale ranks 29,599 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,446 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 828 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Ellendale and the insurance market
Ellendale's low rating (6th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Ellendale
Even with 90% of Ellendale 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.
Where Ellendale's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 388 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Ellendale. The exposure-zones guide covers what Ellendale's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.