Williamston, MI
How exposed is Williamston to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Williamston at the 12th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 1,811 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Williamston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 13th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 70.7% of Williamston's 1,811 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 21.2% Direct and 8.1% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
How Williamston compares
Within Michigan, Williamston ranks higher (42nd percentile) than it does nationally (12th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Williamston ranks 27,704 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,031 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 436 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Williamston and the insurance market
At the 12th national percentile, Williamston rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Williamston (70.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Williamston's figures come from
Williamston's 12th-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 Williamston's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.