Isabel, SD
Isabel wildfire risk explained
Isabel's 228 buildings earn a 78th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Isabel at the 77th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Isabel's buildings actually sit
71.1% of Isabel's 228 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 29% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Isabel against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Isabel's 78th national percentile and its 77th percentile inside South Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Isabel ranks 6,847 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,871 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 101 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 78th percentile nationally, Isabel carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Isabel (71.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 228 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Isabel. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Isabel, see the exposure-zones guide.