Zimmerman, MN
Zimmerman wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Zimmerman lands at the 63rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 2,284 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Zimmerman's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
2,284 buildings are counted in Zimmerman, and 55.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 40.5% in Direct exposure or the 3.8% rated Minimal.
How Zimmerman compares
Compare Zimmerman's two percentiles: 88th within Minnesota, only 63rd nationally — a gap of 25 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Zimmerman ranks 11,820 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,738 by building count (1 is largest). Within Minnesota alone, it ranks 114 of 914 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Minnesota on its state page.
Zimmerman and the insurance market
Zimmerman's 63rd-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Zimmerman
Zimmerman's 55.7% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Zimmerman's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,284 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Zimmerman. The exposure-zones guide covers what Zimmerman's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.