Wolsey, SD
How exposed is Wolsey to wildfire?
Wolsey's 439 buildings earn a 60th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Wolsey's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
74.5% of Wolsey's 439 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 25.5% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Wolsey ranks
There's little gap between Wolsey's 60th national percentile and its 47th percentile inside South Dakota, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wolsey ranks 12,715 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,492 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 234 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Wolsey
Wolsey's elevated rating (60th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 74.5% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Wolsey gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 439 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Wolsey. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Wolsey, see the exposure-zones guide.