Lower Brule, SD
Lower Brule, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Lower Brule lands at the 77th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 233 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Lower Brule at the 75th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Lower Brule's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Lower Brule (84.1% of 233 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 15.9% sit in the Direct zone.
How Lower Brule compares
Lower Brule scores 77th nationally and 75th within South Dakota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lower Brule ranks 7,354 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,714 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 111 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 77th percentile nationally, Lower Brule 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.
Hardening a home in Lower Brule
Lower Brule's 84.1% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Lower Brule's figures come from
Lower Brule's 77th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lower Brule's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.