Sarles, ND
How exposed is Sarles to wildfire?
Sarles's 78 buildings earn a 45th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average 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 Sarles at the 42nd percentile, close to its 45th-percentile risk score.
Where Sarles's buildings actually sit
Most of Sarles's buildings (55.1% of 78) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Sarles against the rest of the country
Sarles's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Dakota (38th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (45th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sarles ranks 17,374 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,979 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 250 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Sarles's elevated wildfire rating (45th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Sarles's 55.1% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Sarles's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Sarles's 17,374-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sarles's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.