Seneca, SD
Seneca wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Seneca at the 56th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 80 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Seneca at the 53rd national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Seneca's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Seneca: 62.5% of its 80 buildings, versus 37.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Seneca compares
Seneca ranks lower within South Dakota (39th percentile statewide) than its 56th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Seneca ranks 13,913 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,898 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 267 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Seneca and the insurance market
At the 56th national percentile, Seneca rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Seneca (62.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Seneca's 56th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Seneca, see the exposure-zones guide.