Hobson, MT
How exposed is Hobson to wildfire?
Hobson's 236 buildings earn a 19th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hobson at the 17th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Hobson's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 77.5% of Hobson's 236 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 22.5% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Hobson against the rest of the country
Hobson's 19th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 3rd ranking inside Montana does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 16 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hobson ranks 25,596 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,599 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 461 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
Hobson's low wildfire rating (19th 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
Hobson's 77.5% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hobson's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 236 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Hobson. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hobson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.