Watertown, SD
How exposed is Watertown to wildfire?
Watertown sits at the 51st percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 11,314 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Watertown at the 49th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Watertown's buildings actually sit
88.5% of Watertown's 11,314 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 10.4% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself. At 11,314 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Watertown ranks
Watertown ranks lower within South Dakota (31st percentile statewide) than its 51st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Watertown ranks 15,613 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 1,399 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 305 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Watertown
At the 51st national percentile, Watertown rates elevated 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 88.5% of Watertown 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 11,314 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Watertown. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Watertown, see the exposure-zones guide.