North Branch, MN
How exposed is North Branch to wildfire?
USFS scores North Branch at the 48th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 4,959 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts North Branch at the 47th percentile, close to its 48th-percentile risk score.
Where North Branch's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in North Branch: 65.9% of its 4,959 buildings, versus 11.6% Indirect and 22.5% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How North Branch compares
Within Minnesota, North Branch ranks higher (71st percentile) than it does nationally (48th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, North Branch ranks 16,454 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,460 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 268 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in North Branch
At the 48th national percentile, North Branch rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With 65.9% of North Branch in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where North Branch's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 4,959 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for North Branch. The exposure-zones guide covers what North Branch's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.