Mercer, ND
How exposed is Mercer to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Mercer lands at the 42nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 162 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Mercer's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 40th percentile nationally.
Where Mercer's buildings actually sit
Most of Mercer's buildings (64.2%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
How Mercer compares
Mercer scores 42nd nationally and 30th within North 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, Mercer ranks 18,227 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,348 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 282 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
Mercer's elevated wildfire rating (42nd 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.
Hardening a home in Mercer
Because 64.2% of Mercer'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 Mercer's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Mercer's 18,227-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Mercer's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.