Swartz Creek, MI
How exposed is Swartz Creek to wildfire?
Swartz Creek sits at the 7th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,956 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Swartz Creek's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 8th percentile nationally.
Where Swartz Creek's buildings actually sit
Only 14.7% of Swartz Creek's 2,956 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 85.3% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Where Swartz Creek ranks
Swartz Creek scores 7th nationally and 21st within Michigan — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Swartz Creek ranks 29,226 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,504 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 588 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Swartz Creek and the insurance market
At the 7th national percentile, Swartz Creek rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Even with 85.3% of Swartz Creek outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Swartz Creek's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Swartz Creek's 29,226-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Swartz Creek's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.