Cherokee Pass, MO
Cherokee Pass wildfire risk explained
Cherokee Pass sits at the 58th 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 237 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cherokee Pass at the 60th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Cherokee Pass's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Cherokee Pass: 81.4% of its 237 buildings, versus 18.6% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Cherokee Pass against the rest of the country
Cherokee Pass's risk sits at a similar level relative to Missouri (50th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (58th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cherokee Pass ranks 13,308 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,560 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 533 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Cherokee Pass and the insurance market
Cherokee Pass's elevated wildfire rating (58th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Cherokee Pass (81.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 237 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Cherokee Pass. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Cherokee Pass, see the exposure-zones guide.