Independence, MS
Independence, MS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Independence sits at the 81st percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 208 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Independence at the 84th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Independence's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 79.8% of Independence's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 20.2% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 166 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Independence against the rest of the country
Independence's risk sits at a similar level relative to Mississippi (82nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (81st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Independence ranks 6,144 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,557 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 78 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Independence and the insurance market
Independence's very high rating (81st percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 79.8% of Independence 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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Independence's 6,144-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Independence, see the exposure-zones guide.