Fulton, SD
Fulton wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Fulton at the 45th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 111 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Fulton at the 45th percentile, close to its 45th-percentile risk score.
Fulton's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Fulton's 111 counted buildings, 50.4% carry Direct exposure and only 49.6% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Fulton ranks
Fulton ranks lower within South Dakota (22nd 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, Fulton ranks 17,249 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,610 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 344 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Fulton and the insurance market
Fulton's elevated rating (45th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Fulton (50.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Fulton's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Fulton's 17,249-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Fulton's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.