Norris, SD
How exposed is Norris to wildfire?
Norris's 76 buildings earn a 90th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Norris at the 87th percentile, close to its 90th-percentile risk score.
Norris's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 94.7% of Norris's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 5.3% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 72 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Norris against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Norris's 90th national percentile and its 93rd percentile inside South Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Norris ranks 3,256 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,062 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 30 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Norris
At the 90th percentile nationally, Norris 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Norris (94.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Norris's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Norris's 3,256-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Norris's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.