Independence, MN
Independence, MN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Independence at the 51st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,864 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Independence's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 49th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
91.1% of Independence's 2,864 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 2,610 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 8.8% are Minimal.
Where Independence ranks
Independence's 75th-percentile standing inside Minnesota outpaces its 51st national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Independence ranks 15,470 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,640 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 228 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Independence's elevated wildfire rating (51st 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
Independence's 91.1% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Independence's 15,470-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Independence, see the exposure-zones guide.