Pine Bend, MN
How exposed is Pine Bend to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Pine Bend at the 84th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 31 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Pine Bend at the 80th national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Pine Bend's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 96.8% of Pine Bend's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 3.2% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 30 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Pine Bend compares
Pine Bend scores 84th nationally and 99th within Minnesota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Pine Bend ranks 5,078 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 31,345 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 14 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
At the 84th percentile nationally, Pine Bend carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Pine Bend (96.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Pine Bend's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 31 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Pine Bend. The exposure-zones guide covers what Pine Bend's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.