Reliance, SD
Reliance wildfire risk explained
Reliance's 193 buildings earn a 62nd-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.)
Separately from the risk score above, Reliance's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 56th percentile nationally.
Where Reliance's buildings actually sit
65.3% of Reliance's 193 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 34.7% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Reliance against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Reliance's 62nd national percentile and its 51st percentile inside South Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Reliance ranks 12,113 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,137 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 217 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Reliance and the insurance market
Reliance's high rating (62nd 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Reliance (65.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Reliance's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 193 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Reliance. The exposure-zones guide covers what Reliance's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.