Ideal, SD
Ideal, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Ideal at the 59th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 38 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ideal's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
Ideal's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Ideal: 84.2% of its 38 buildings, versus 13.2% Indirect and 2.6% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Ideal ranks
Ideal scores 59th nationally and 44th within South Dakota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ideal ranks 13,064 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,217 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 248 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Ideal
Ideal's elevated wildfire rating (59th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 84.2% of Ideal 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 38 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Ideal. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Ideal, see the exposure-zones guide.