Fishtail, MT
Fishtail, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Fishtail lands at the 83rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 101 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Fishtail at the 85th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Fishtail's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 100% of Fishtail's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 101 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Fishtail ranks
Inside Montana, Fishtail sits at just the 58th percentile even though it scores 83rd 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, Fishtail ranks 5,295 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,002 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 200 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Fishtail's very high rating (83rd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
With 100% of Fishtail in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 101 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Fishtail. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Fishtail, see the exposure-zones guide.