Cottleville, MO
Cottleville, MO's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Cottleville at the 44th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,901 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cottleville at the 48th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 81.3% of Cottleville's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 18.7% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Where Cottleville ranks
Cottleville ranks lower within Missouri (22nd percentile statewide) than its 44th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cottleville ranks 17,614 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,755 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 832 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Cottleville's elevated rating (44th 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 81.3% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Cottleville gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Cottleville's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Cottleville's 17,614-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cottleville's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.