Oriska, ND
Oriska wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Oriska lands at the 53rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 108 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Oriska at the 52nd percentile, close to its 53rd-percentile risk score.
Oriska's building exposure, zone by zone
108 buildings are counted in Oriska, and 55.6% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 44.4% rated Minimal.
How Oriska compares
Oriska's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Dakota (59th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (53rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Oriska ranks 14,761 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,705 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 164 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Oriska's elevated wildfire rating (53rd percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
With 55.6% of Oriska 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 Oriska's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 108 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Oriska. The exposure-zones guide covers what Oriska's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.