Gregory, SD
Gregory wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Gregory at the 55th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 964 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gregory's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 52nd percentile nationally.
Gregory's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Gregory (82.7% of 964 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 10.4% sit in the Direct zone.
How Gregory compares
Gregory ranks lower within South Dakota (37th percentile statewide) than its 55th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gregory ranks 14,290 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,199 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 277 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Gregory and the insurance market
Gregory's elevated rating (55th 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 82.7% of Gregory's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Gregory's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gregory's 14,290-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gregory's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.