Out of 52 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 52 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 18/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 1,431 |
Top 52 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rolette | North Dakota | 32/100 | 376 | 6 |
| 2 | Golden Valley | North Dakota | 27/100 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | Billings | North Dakota | 26/100 | 29 | 2 |
| 4 | Slope | North Dakota | 25/100 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Benson | North Dakota | 24/100 | 143 | 9 |
| 6 | Burleigh | North Dakota | 24/100 | 9 | 14 |
| 7 | Nelson | North Dakota | 23/100 | 143 | 8 |
| 8 | McKenzie | North Dakota | 23/100 | 54 | 5 |
| 9 | Ransom | North Dakota | 23/100 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Ramsey | North Dakota | 23/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 11 | Towner | North Dakota | 22/100 | 376 | 11 |
| 12 | Bowman | North Dakota | 22/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Stark | North Dakota | 22/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 14 | Cavalier | North Dakota | 21/100 | 143 | 17 |
| 15 | Emmons | North Dakota | 21/100 | 9 | 8 |
| 16 | Richland | North Dakota | 21/100 | 1 | 14 |
| 17 | Sheridan | North Dakota | 21/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 18 | Dunn | North Dakota | 20/100 | 54 | 8 |
| 19 | Eddy | North Dakota | 20/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Ward | North Dakota | 20/100 | 1 | 17 |
| 21 | Morton | North Dakota | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Hettinger | North Dakota | 19/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 23 | Mountrail | North Dakota | 18/100 | 10 | 6 |
| 24 | Grant | North Dakota | 18/100 | 9 | 6 |
| 25 | Adams | North Dakota | 18/100 | 3 | 2 |
| 26 | Renville | North Dakota | 18/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 27 | Kidder | North Dakota | 17/100 | 5 | 5 |
| 28 | Cass | North Dakota | 17/100 | 1 | 37 |
| 29 | Sargent | North Dakota | 17/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 30 | Griggs | North Dakota | 17/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 31 | Williams | North Dakota | 16/100 | 10 | 13 |
| 32 | Grand Forks | North Dakota | 16/100 | 3 | 22 |
| 33 | Foster | North Dakota | 16/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 34 | McLean | North Dakota | 15/100 | 6 | 11 |
| 35 | Logan | North Dakota | 15/100 | 2 | 3 |
| 36 | Pembina | North Dakota | 15/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 37 | Walsh | North Dakota | 15/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 38 | Pierce | North Dakota | 15/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Bottineau | North Dakota | 15/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 40 | Wells | North Dakota | 15/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 41 | McHenry | North Dakota | 14/100 | 6 | 14 |
| 42 | Mercer | North Dakota | 14/100 | 5 | 4 |
| 43 | Barnes | North Dakota | 14/100 | 2 | 13 |
| 44 | LaMoure | North Dakota | 13/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 45 | McIntosh | North Dakota | 13/100 | 2 | 5 |
| 46 | Dickey | North Dakota | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 47 | Oliver | North Dakota | 13/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 48 | Stutsman | North Dakota | 12/100 | 2 | 16 |
| 49 | Traill | North Dakota | 12/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 50 | Steele | North Dakota | 11/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 51 | Divide | North Dakota | 10/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 52 | Burke | North Dakota | 9/100 | 1 | 6 |
Methodology
County rankings for North Dakota 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.