Sawyer, ND
Sawyer, ND's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sawyer at the 52nd national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 388 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sawyer's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 51st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Sawyer (73.7% of 388 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 26.3% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Sawyer ranks
There's little gap between Sawyer's 52nd national percentile and its 57th percentile inside North Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sawyer ranks 15,232 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,450 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 176 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
Sawyer's elevated rating (52nd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because 73.7% of Sawyer's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Sawyer's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 388 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sawyer. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sawyer's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.