Madison, MN
How exposed is Madison to wildfire?
Madison's 1,140 buildings earn a 20th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Madison at the 15th national percentile — 5 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Madison's building exposure, zone by zone
86.1% of Madison's 1,140 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 14% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
How Madison compares
Madison's risk sits at a similar level relative to Minnesota (24th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (20th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Madison ranks 25,247 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,017 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 699 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Madison and the insurance market
Madison's low rating (20th 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
Even with 86.1% of Madison outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Madison's figures come from
Madison's 20th-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 Madison's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.