St. Xavier, MT
How exposed is St. Xavier to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts St. Xavier at the 85th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 129 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, St. Xavier's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 87th percentile nationally.
Where St. Xavier's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in St. Xavier: 74.4% of its 129 buildings, versus 25.6% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
St. Xavier against the rest of the country
St. Xavier ranks lower within Montana (63rd percentile statewide) than its 85th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, St. Xavier ranks 4,669 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,756 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 175 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 85th percentile nationally, St. Xavier carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
St. Xavier's 74.4% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where St. Xavier's figures come from
St. Xavier's 85th-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 St. Xavier's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.