Wallace, SD
Wallace, SD's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Wallace's 91 buildings earn a 55th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Wallace at the 53rd national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 56% of Wallace's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 44% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 51 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Wallace against the rest of the country
Wallace's 55th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 37th ranking inside South Dakota does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 17 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wallace ranks 14,259 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,474 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 275 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Wallace's elevated rating (55th 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 Direct exposure dominates in Wallace (56%), 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
Wallace's 55th-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 Wallace, see the exposure-zones guide.