Lewistown, MT
Lewistown, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Lewistown lands at the 44th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 3,558 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Lewistown's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 42nd percentile nationally.
Lewistown's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Lewistown's buildings (91.1%) 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.
Lewistown against the rest of the country
Lewistown ranks lower within Montana (9th percentile statewide) than its 44th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lewistown ranks 17,715 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,710 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 434 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 44th national percentile, Lewistown rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Lewistown
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Lewistown (91.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Lewistown's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Lewistown's 17,715-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lewistown's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.