WildfireRiskFinder

Lincoln, ND

Lincoln wildfire risk explained

High
69thpercentile nationally

USFS scores Lincoln at the 69th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,668 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)

Separately from the risk score above, Lincoln's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 65th percentile nationally.

What "at risk" means for the buildings here

1,668Total buildings
17.2%Direct exposure
82.9%Indirect exposure
0%Minimal exposure

Indirect exposure is dominant in Lincoln (82.9% of 1,668 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 17.2% sit in the Direct zone.

Lincoln against the rest of the country

Within North Dakota, Lincoln ranks higher (86th percentile) than it does nationally (69th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lincoln ranks 9,934 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,530 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 56 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.

What this risk score means for insurance

Lincoln's high rating (69th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.

Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it

Because 82.9% of Lincoln's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.

Where Lincoln's figures come from

Every one of the two percentiles behind Lincoln's 9,934-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lincoln's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.