Musselshell, MT
Musselshell, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Musselshell at the 95th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 98 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Musselshell's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 95th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
98 buildings are counted in Musselshell, and 55.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 44.9% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Musselshell compares
Musselshell's risk sits at a similar level relative to Montana (88th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (95th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Musselshell ranks 1,674 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,135 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 60 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 95th percentile nationally, Musselshell carries the very 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 Musselshell
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Musselshell (55.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 98 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Musselshell. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Musselshell, see the exposure-zones guide.