Polson, MT
Polson, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Polson sits at the 64th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,889 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Polson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 64th percentile nationally.
Where Polson's buildings actually sit
Most of Polson's buildings (40.6%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Where Polson ranks
Polson's 64th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 31st ranking inside Montana does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 33 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Polson ranks 11,352 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,604 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 329 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 64th percentile nationally, Polson carries the 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
Polson's 40.6% 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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Polson's 11,352-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Polson, see the exposure-zones guide.