Iron River, MI
Iron River wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Iron River lands at the 17th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 2,427 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Iron River at the 17th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Iron River's buildings actually sit
2,427 buildings are counted in Iron River, and 70.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 29.5% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Iron River ranks
Within Michigan, Iron River ranks higher (57th percentile) than it does nationally (17th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Iron River ranks 26,250 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,445 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 319 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Iron River
At the 17th national percentile, Iron River rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Iron River (70.5% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Iron River's figures come from
Iron River's 17th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Iron River's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.