Out of 86 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 86 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 23/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 2,756 |
Top 86 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine | Minnesota | 33/100 | 28 | 9 |
| 2 | Kittson | Minnesota | 33/100 | 24 | 10 |
| 3 | Mahnomen | Minnesota | 32/100 | 41 | 4 |
| 4 | Beltrami | Minnesota | 31/100 | 114 | 13 |
| 5 | Clearwater | Minnesota | 31/100 | 59 | 6 |
| 6 | Marshall | Minnesota | 31/100 | 59 | 12 |
| 7 | Becker | Minnesota | 31/100 | 48 | 10 |
| 8 | Polk | Minnesota | 31/100 | 33 | 15 |
| 9 | Kanabec | Minnesota | 30/100 | 13 | 3 |
| 10 | Swift | Minnesota | 30/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 11 | Mille Lacs | Minnesota | 29/100 | 114 | 9 |
| 12 | Wadena | Minnesota | 29/100 | 33 | 5 |
| 13 | Lake | Minnesota | 29/100 | 32 | 7 |
| 14 | Pennington | Minnesota | 29/100 | 8 | 3 |
| 15 | Chippewa | Minnesota | 29/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | Sherburne | Minnesota | 28/100 | 75 | 6 |
| 17 | Aitkin | Minnesota | 28/100 | 69 | 9 |
| 18 | Otter Tail | Minnesota | 28/100 | 33 | 19 |
| 19 | Lac qui Parle | Minnesota | 28/100 | 12 | 6 |
| 20 | Stevens | Minnesota | 28/100 | 9 | 5 |
| 21 | Yellow Medicine | Minnesota | 28/100 | 7 | 6 |
| 22 | St. Louis | Minnesota | 27/100 | 261 | 54 |
| 23 | Carlton | Minnesota | 27/100 | 261 | 12 |
| 24 | Morrison | Minnesota | 27/100 | 77 | 12 |
| 25 | Douglas | Minnesota | 27/100 | 14 | 11 |
| 26 | Big Stone | Minnesota | 27/100 | 9 | 6 |
| 27 | Pope | Minnesota | 27/100 | 6 | 7 |
| 28 | Kandiyohi | Minnesota | 27/100 | 4 | 10 |
| 29 | Lincoln | Minnesota | 27/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 30 | Grant | Minnesota | 27/100 | 2 | 5 |
| 31 | Hubbard | Minnesota | 26/100 | 48 | 8 |
| 32 | Crow Wing | Minnesota | 25/100 | 173 | 18 |
| 33 | Isanti | Minnesota | 25/100 | 114 | 5 |
| 34 | Red Lake | Minnesota | 25/100 | 33 | 5 |
| 35 | Stearns | Minnesota | 25/100 | 4 | 26 |
| 36 | Lyon | Minnesota | 25/100 | 3 | 8 |
| 37 | Traverse | Minnesota | 25/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 38 | Wilkin | Minnesota | 25/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 39 | Benton | Minnesota | 24/100 | 75 | 15 |
| 40 | Todd | Minnesota | 24/100 | 31 | 11 |
| 41 | Clay | Minnesota | 24/100 | 8 | 13 |
| 42 | Renville | Minnesota | 24/100 | 4 | 9 |
| 43 | Meeker | Minnesota | 24/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 44 | McLeod | Minnesota | 24/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 45 | Cottonwood | Minnesota | 24/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 46 | Norman | Minnesota | 24/100 | 1 | 10 |
| 47 | Cass | Minnesota | 23/100 | 173 | 11 |
| 48 | Chisago | Minnesota | 23/100 | 84 | 12 |
| 49 | Roseau | Minnesota | 23/100 | 59 | 10 |
| 50 | Wright | Minnesota | 23/100 | 5 | 30 |
| 51 | Pipestone | Minnesota | 23/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 52 | Redwood | Minnesota | 23/100 | 1 | 14 |
| 53 | Rock | Minnesota | 23/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 54 | Cook | Minnesota | 21/100 | 6 | 4 |
| 55 | Brown | Minnesota | 21/100 | 3 | 7 |
| 56 | Murray | Minnesota | 21/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 57 | Blue Earth | Minnesota | 20/100 | 3 | 12 |
| 58 | Jackson | Minnesota | 20/100 | 3 | 6 |
| 59 | Waseca | Minnesota | 20/100 | 2 | 4 |
| 60 | Steele | Minnesota | 20/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 61 | Le Sueur | Minnesota | 19/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 62 | Watonwan | Minnesota | 19/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 63 | Nobles | Minnesota | 19/100 | 1 | 10 |
| 64 | Nicollet | Minnesota | 19/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 65 | Anoka | Minnesota | 18/100 | 120 | 43 |
| 66 | Sibley | Minnesota | 18/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 67 | Hennepin | Minnesota | 17/100 | 5 | 107 |
| 68 | Carver | Minnesota | 17/100 | 3 | 22 |
| 69 | Rice | Minnesota | 17/100 | 2 | 11 |
| 70 | Martin | Minnesota | 17/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 71 | Lake of the Woods | Minnesota | 14/100 | 36 | 3 |
| 72 | Washington | Minnesota | 14/100 | 24 | 20 |
| 73 | Freeborn | Minnesota | 14/100 | 2 | 12 |
| 74 | Scott | Minnesota | 14/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 75 | Dodge | Minnesota | 14/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 76 | Faribault | Minnesota | 14/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 77 | Itasca | Minnesota | 13/100 | 102 | 24 |
| 78 | Goodhue | Minnesota | 13/100 | 14 | 10 |
| 79 | Dakota | Minnesota | 13/100 | 2 | 18 |
| 80 | Olmsted | Minnesota | 11/100 | 6 | 12 |
| 81 | Mower | Minnesota | 11/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 82 | Koochiching | Minnesota | 10/100 | 102 | 12 |
| 83 | Houston | Minnesota | 10/100 | 6 | 8 |
| 84 | Wabasha | Minnesota | 9/100 | 14 | 9 |
| 85 | Fillmore | Minnesota | 8/100 | 1 | 13 |
| 86 | Winona | Minnesota | 7/100 | 6 | 8 |
Methodology
County rankings for Minnesota based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.