Helena Valley Northeast, MT
How exposed is Helena Valley Northeast to wildfire?
USFS scores Helena Valley Northeast at the 79th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 3,056 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Helena Valley Northeast at the 75th percentile, close to its 79th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Helena Valley Northeast: 84% of its 3,056 buildings, versus 15.2% Indirect and 0.8% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Helena Valley Northeast compares
Helena Valley Northeast ranks lower within Montana (51st percentile statewide) than its 79th 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 Valley Northeast ranks 6,657 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,345 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 233 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
Helena Valley Northeast's high rating (79th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 84% of Helena Valley Northeast 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 Helena Valley Northeast's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,056 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Helena Valley Northeast. The exposure-zones guide covers what Helena Valley Northeast's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.