Gary, MN
Gary wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Gary at the 61st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 201 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gary's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 60th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
201 buildings are counted in Gary, and 50.7% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 49.3% rated Minimal.
Where Gary ranks
Compare Gary's two percentiles: 87th within Minnesota, only 61st nationally — a gap of 26 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gary ranks 12,165 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,799 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 119 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Gary
At the 61st percentile nationally, Gary carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
With 50.7% of Gary 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 201 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gary. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Gary, see the exposure-zones guide.