Stephen, MN
Stephen wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Stephen at the 32nd national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 509 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Stephen at the 33rd national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Stephen's building exposure, zone by zone
89.2% of Stephen's 509 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 10.8% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Stephen ranks
Stephen's risk sits at a similar level relative to Minnesota (38th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (32nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Stephen ranks 21,428 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,192 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 564 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 32nd national percentile, Stephen rates moderate 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
Stephen's 89.2% 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 509 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Stephen. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Stephen, see the exposure-zones guide.