Hinsdale, MT
Hinsdale wildfire risk explained
Hinsdale's 249 buildings earn a 56th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Hinsdale's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
249 buildings are counted in Hinsdale, and 79.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 20.9% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Hinsdale ranks
Hinsdale ranks lower within Montana (20th percentile statewide) than its 56th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hinsdale ranks 13,740 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,175 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 380 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hinsdale
Hinsdale's elevated wildfire rating (56th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Hinsdale (79.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hinsdale's 13,740-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Hinsdale, see the exposure-zones guide.