Wellston, MI
Wellston, MI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Wellston lands at the 40th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 280 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Wellston at the 39th percentile, close to its 40th-percentile risk score.
Where Wellston's buildings actually sit
280 buildings are counted in Wellston, and 85% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Wellston ranks
Wellston's 91st-percentile standing inside Michigan outpaces its 40th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wellston ranks 18,843 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,186 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 68 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Wellston and the insurance market
At the 40th national percentile, Wellston rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Wellston
Wellston's 85% 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 280 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Wellston. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Wellston, see the exposure-zones guide.