Garretson, SD
Garretson wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Garretson at the 37th national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 658 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Garretson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 34th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Garretson rates 78.9% Minimal exposure against just 21.1% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 658 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.
How Garretson compares
Garretson ranks lower within South Dakota (11th percentile statewide) than its 37th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Garretson ranks 19,777 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,092 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 393 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Garretson
Garretson's moderate rating (37th 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 Garretson
With 78.9% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Garretson gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Garretson's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 658 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Garretson. The exposure-zones guide covers what Garretson's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.