Heart Butte, MT
How exposed is Heart Butte to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Heart Butte lands at the 89th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 200 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Heart Butte's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 88th percentile nationally.
Heart Butte's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 81% of Heart Butte's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 19% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 162 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Heart Butte against the rest of the country
Heart Butte ranks lower within Montana (73rd percentile statewide) than its 89th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Heart Butte ranks 3,624 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,845 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 127 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
Heart Butte's very high rating (89th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 81% of Heart Butte 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.
Where Heart Butte's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Heart Butte's 3,624-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Heart Butte's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.