Mercer, MO
Mercer wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Mercer at the 73rd national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 292 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Mercer at the 74th national percentile — 2 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
292 buildings are counted in Mercer, and 54.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 45.6% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Mercer against the rest of the country
Mercer's risk sits at a similar level relative to Missouri (87th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (73rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mercer ranks 8,639 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,852 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 140 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Mercer
At the 73rd percentile nationally, Mercer carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Mercer's 54.5% 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 292 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Mercer. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Mercer, see the exposure-zones guide.