Latimer, MS
Latimer wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Latimer lands at the 92nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 4,000 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Latimer at the 94th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Latimer's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Latimer: 81.4% of its 4,000 buildings, versus 18.6% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Latimer ranks
There's little gap between Latimer's 92nd national percentile and its 95th percentile inside Mississippi, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Latimer ranks 2,420 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,247 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 22 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Latimer and the insurance market
Latimer's very high rating (92nd 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Latimer (81.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Latimer's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 4,000 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Latimer. The exposure-zones guide covers what Latimer's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.