WildfireRiskFinder

Helena, OK

Helena, OK's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers

Elevated
42ndpercentile nationally

USFS scores Helena at the 42nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 382 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)

Separately from the risk score above, Helena's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 37th percentile nationally.

What "at risk" means for the buildings here

382Total buildings
6.5%Direct exposure
0%Indirect exposure
93.5%Minimal exposure

Helena rates 93.5% Minimal exposure against just 6.5% Direct and 0% Indirect — of 382 buildings counted, few sit close enough to burnable vegetation for USFS to flag them individually.

How Helena compares

Helena ranks lower within Oklahoma (4th percentile statewide) than its 42nd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helena ranks 18,194 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,603 by building count (1 is largest). Within Oklahoma alone, it ranks 805 of 834 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Oklahoma on its state page.

What this risk score means for insurance

At the 42nd national percentile, Helena rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.

Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it

With 93.5% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Helena gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.

Where Helena's figures come from

Every one of the two percentiles behind Helena's 18,194-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Helena's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.