Prairiewood Village, SD
How exposed is Prairiewood Village to wildfire?
Prairiewood Village sits at the 73rd 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 138 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Prairiewood Village's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 73rd percentile nationally.
Prairiewood Village's building exposure, zone by zone
138 buildings are counted in Prairiewood Village, and 92% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 8% rated Minimal.
Prairiewood Village against the rest of the country
Prairiewood Village scores 73rd nationally and 70th within South Dakota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Prairiewood Village ranks 8,646 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,381 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 130 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Prairiewood Village and the insurance market
At the 73rd percentile nationally, Prairiewood Village 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
Prairiewood Village's 92% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Prairiewood Village's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 138 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Prairiewood Village. The exposure-zones guide covers what Prairiewood Village's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.