Big Lake, MO
Big Lake wildfire risk explained
Big Lake sits at the 60th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 397 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Big Lake's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 58th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Big Lake's buildings (76.1% of 397) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
How Big Lake compares
Big Lake's risk sits at a similar level relative to Missouri (54th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (60th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Lake ranks 12,763 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,267 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 489 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Big Lake and the insurance market
Big Lake's elevated wildfire rating (60th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Hardening a home in Big Lake
Even with 76.1% of Big Lake outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 397 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Big Lake. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Big Lake, see the exposure-zones guide.