Jeffers, MT
Jeffers wildfire risk explained
Jeffers sits at the 76th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 43 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Jeffers at the 72nd national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Jeffers's building exposure, zone by zone
74.4% of Jeffers's 43 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 32 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 25.6% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Jeffers ranks
Inside Montana, Jeffers sits at just the 46th percentile even though it scores 76th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Jeffers ranks 7,661 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,103 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 255 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Jeffers and the insurance market
Jeffers's 76th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Jeffers
Because Direct exposure dominates in Jeffers (74.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Jeffers's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 43 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Jeffers. The exposure-zones guide covers what Jeffers's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.