Perham, MN
How exposed is Perham to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Perham lands at the 55th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,687 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Perham's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 52nd percentile nationally.
Where Perham's buildings actually sit
Only 23.1% of Perham's 1,687 buildings carry Direct exposure and 1.1% carry Indirect; the remaining 75.8% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Perham against the rest of the country
Perham's 80th-percentile standing inside Minnesota outpaces its 55th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Perham ranks 14,332 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,471 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 185 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Perham
Perham's elevated wildfire rating (55th 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.
Hardening a home in Perham
With 75.8% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Perham gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Perham's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,687 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Perham. The exposure-zones guide covers what Perham's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.