Preston, MN
Preston wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Preston at the 18th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 904 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Preston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 19th percentile nationally.
Preston's building exposure, zone by zone
904 buildings are counted in Preston, and 76.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 23.3% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Preston against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Preston's 18th national percentile and its 21st percentile inside Minnesota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Preston ranks 25,750 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,683 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 719 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
Preston's low rating (18th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Preston (76.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Preston's figures come from
Preston's 18th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Preston's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.