Counties with Highest Wildfire Smoke Risk in Minneso...

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.