Kerkhoven, MN
Kerkhoven, MN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Kerkhoven lands at the 15th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a figure built from its 496 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Kerkhoven at the 12th percentile, close to its 15th-percentile risk score.
Kerkhoven's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 84.3% of Kerkhoven's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 15.7% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Kerkhoven against the rest of the country
Kerkhoven's risk sits at a similar level relative to Minnesota (19th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (15th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Kerkhoven ranks 26,891 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,423 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 743 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Kerkhoven and the insurance market
Kerkhoven's low rating (15th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 84.3% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Kerkhoven gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Kerkhoven's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 496 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Kerkhoven. The exposure-zones guide covers what Kerkhoven's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.