Esko, MN
Esko wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Esko lands at the 30th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 1,260 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Esko at the 30th percentile, close to its 30th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Esko: 83.7% of its 1,260 buildings, versus 3.5% Indirect and 12.8% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Esko ranks
There's little gap between Esko's 30th national percentile and its 37th percentile inside Minnesota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Esko ranks 21,966 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,299 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 579 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Esko and the insurance market
At the 30th national percentile, Esko rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Esko (83.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Esko's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,260 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Esko. The exposure-zones guide covers what Esko's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.