Paynesville, MN
Paynesville wildfire risk explained
Paynesville sits at the 44th 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 1,318 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Paynesville's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 43rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 92.4% of Paynesville's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 7.6% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Where Paynesville ranks
Compare Paynesville's two percentiles: 63rd within Minnesota, only 44th nationally — a gap of 19 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Paynesville ranks 17,520 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,980 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 336 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Paynesville's elevated wildfire rating (44th 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 92.4% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Paynesville gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Paynesville's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,318 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Paynesville. The exposure-zones guide covers what Paynesville's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.