Big Bow, KS
Big Bow wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Big Bow at the 49th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 92 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Big Bow at the 47th percentile, close to its 49th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 60.9% of Big Bow's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 39.1% Minimal share — a profile where 56 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Big Bow against the rest of the country
Big Bow's 49th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 28th ranking inside Kansas does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 20 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Bow ranks 16,195 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,396 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 513 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Big Bow
Big Bow's elevated rating (49th 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 60.9% of Big Bow in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Big Bow's figures come from
Big Bow's 49th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Big Bow's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.