Erie, ND
Erie wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Erie lands at the 57th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 64 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Erie at the 55th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Erie's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Erie: 100% of its 64 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Erie ranks
There's little gap between Erie's 57th national percentile and its 68th percentile inside North Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Erie ranks 13,435 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,518 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 131 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Erie
At the 57th national percentile, Erie 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 Erie
Erie's 100% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Erie's figures come from
Erie's 57th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Erie's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.