Howard, SD
How exposed is Howard to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Howard at the 40th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 736 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Howard at the 39th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 86.4% of Howard's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 13.6% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Where Howard ranks
Howard ranks lower within South Dakota (14th percentile statewide) than its 40th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Howard ranks 18,799 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,264 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 380 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Howard
At the 40th national percentile, Howard 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
Howard's 86.4% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Howard's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 736 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Howard. The exposure-zones guide covers what Howard's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.