Midland, SD
How exposed is Midland to wildfire?
USFS scores Midland at the 77th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 167 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Midland's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 75th percentile nationally.
Midland's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Midland (90.4% of 167 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 9.6% sit in the Direct zone.
Midland against the rest of the country
Midland's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Dakota (75th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (77th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Midland ranks 7,383 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,150 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 112 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Midland and the insurance market
At the 77th percentile nationally, Midland carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Midland
Midland's 90.4% 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 Midland's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Midland's 7,383-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Midland's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.