Montezuma, KS
Montezuma, KS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Montezuma at the 39th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 610 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Montezuma at the 36th national percentile — 4 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Montezuma's buildings actually sit
Most of Montezuma's buildings (86.1% of 610) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Where Montezuma ranks
Montezuma ranks lower within Kansas (16th percentile statewide) than its 39th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Montezuma ranks 19,095 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,691 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 609 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 39th national percentile, Montezuma rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Montezuma's 86.1% Minimal-exposure share means structure-level hardening matters less here than it would elsewhere — still worth the low-cost basics, per the home-hardening guide.
Where Montezuma's figures come from
Montezuma's 39th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Montezuma's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.