Pukwana, SD
Pukwana wildfire risk explained
Pukwana's 216 buildings earn a 64th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Pukwana at the 63rd percentile, close to its 64th-percentile risk score.
Where Pukwana's buildings actually sit
216 buildings are counted in Pukwana, and 67.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 32.9% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Pukwana ranks
Pukwana scores 64th nationally and 54th 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, Pukwana ranks 11,516 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,289 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 204 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Pukwana and the insurance market
Pukwana's high rating (64th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Pukwana's 67.1% 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.
Where Pukwana's figures come from
Pukwana's 64th-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 Pukwana's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.