West Glacier, MT
West Glacier, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, West Glacier lands at the 97th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 511 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Glacier's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 96th percentile nationally.
West Glacier's building exposure, zone by zone
511 buildings are counted in West Glacier, and 90.4% 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.
West Glacier against the rest of the country
West Glacier scores 97th nationally and 94th within Montana — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Glacier ranks 1,005 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,160 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 32 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 97th percentile nationally, West Glacier carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in West Glacier
West Glacier's 90.4% 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.
Where West Glacier's figures come from
West Glacier's 97th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what West Glacier's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.