Montpelier, ID
How exposed is Montpelier to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Montpelier lands at the 76th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,796 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Montpelier's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 74th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
80% of Montpelier's 1,796 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 20% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Montpelier against the rest of the country
Montpelier ranks lower within Idaho (42nd percentile statewide) than its 76th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Montpelier ranks 7,591 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,077 by building count (1 is largest). Within Idaho alone, it ranks 134 of 232 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Idaho on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 76th percentile nationally, Montpelier 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 Montpelier
Montpelier's 80% 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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Montpelier's 7,591-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Montpelier, see the exposure-zones guide.