Marion, ND
Marion, ND's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Marion sits at the 56th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 182 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Marion at the 55th percentile, close to its 56th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Marion: 57.7% of its 182 buildings, versus 42.3% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Marion against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Marion's 56th national percentile and its 67th percentile inside North Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Marion ranks 13,716 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,552 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 135 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
Marion and the insurance market
Marion's elevated wildfire rating (56th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Marion (57.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Marion's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 182 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Marion. The exposure-zones guide covers what Marion's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.