Meridian, MS
Meridian, MS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Meridian's 16,748 buildings earn a 56th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Meridian at the 58th percentile, close to its 56th-percentile risk score.
Meridian's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 43.6% of Meridian's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 34.7% Indirect share and far above its 21.8% Minimal share — a profile where 7,295 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most. At 16,748 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Meridian ranks
Meridian ranks lower within Mississippi (25th percentile statewide) than its 56th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Meridian ranks 13,996 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 864 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 314 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 56th national percentile, Meridian rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 43.6% of Meridian 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 Meridian's 13,996-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Meridian, see the exposure-zones guide.