Malta, MT
Malta wildfire risk explained
Malta sits at the 63rd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,290 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Malta's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 62nd percentile nationally.
Where Malta's buildings actually sit
94.9% of Malta's 1,290 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 5.1% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Malta compares
Malta ranks lower within Montana (30th percentile statewide) than its 63rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Malta ranks 11,572 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,123 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 334 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
Malta's 63rd-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because 94.9% of Malta'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 Malta's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Malta's 11,572-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Malta's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.