Winston, MT
How exposed is Winston to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Winston lands at the 83rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 148 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Winston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 79th percentile nationally.
Winston's building exposure, zone by zone
94.6% of Winston's 148 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 140 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 5.4% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Winston ranks
Inside Montana, Winston sits at just the 56th percentile even though it scores 83rd nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Winston ranks 5,486 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,959 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 208 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
Winston's very high rating (83rd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Winston (94.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Winston's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Winston's 5,486-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Winston's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.