Lakota, ND
How exposed is Lakota to wildfire?
Lakota's 587 buildings earn a 63rd-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.)
Separately from the risk score above, Lakota's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 60th percentile nationally.
Where Lakota's buildings actually sit
Most of Lakota's buildings (78.7%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Lakota against the rest of the country
Lakota's 80th-percentile standing inside North Dakota outpaces its 63rd 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, Lakota ranks 11,638 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,008 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 81 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
Lakota and the insurance market
At the 63rd percentile nationally, Lakota 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 Lakota (78.7% 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
Lakota's 63rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Lakota, see the exposure-zones guide.