Parkston, SD
Parkston, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Parkston sits at the 36th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,008 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Parkston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
Where Parkston's buildings actually sit
87.1% of Parkston's 1,008 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 12.9% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Parkston ranks
Parkston ranks lower within South Dakota (9th percentile statewide) than its 36th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Parkston ranks 20,149 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,880 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 399 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Parkston
At the 36th national percentile, Parkston rates moderate 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
Even with 87.1% of Parkston outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Parkston's 20,149-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Parkston, see the exposure-zones guide.