Cary, MS
How exposed is Cary to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Cary lands at the 35th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 182 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cary's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 37th percentile nationally.
Cary's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 57.7% of Cary's 182 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 42.3% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Cary against the rest of the country
Cary's 35th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 12th ranking inside Mississippi does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 24 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cary ranks 20,356 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,541 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 371 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 35th national percentile, Cary rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Cary's 57.7% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 182 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cary. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Cary, see the exposure-zones guide.