Palmer, MI
Palmer, MI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Palmer sits at the 60th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 294 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Palmer at the 60th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
94.6% of Palmer's 294 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 5.4% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Palmer against the rest of the country
Within Michigan, Palmer ranks higher (97th percentile) than it does nationally (60th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Palmer ranks 12,671 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,788 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 20 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Palmer's elevated rating (60th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Palmer's 94.6% 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.
Where Palmer's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Palmer's 12,671-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Palmer's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.