Michiana, MI
How exposed is Michiana to wildfire?
USFS scores Michiana at the 38th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 303 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Michiana at the 40th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Michiana's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Michiana (48.5% of 303 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 36.6% sit in the Direct zone.
How Michiana compares
Michiana's 90th-percentile standing inside Michigan outpaces its 38th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Michiana ranks 19,412 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,538 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 78 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Michiana and the insurance market
At the 38th national percentile, Michiana rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Michiana
Michiana's 48.5% 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 Michiana's figures come from
Michiana's 38th-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 Michiana's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.