Montrose, MO
Montrose wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Montrose lands at the 71st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 381 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Montrose at the 71st national percentile — 1 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
USFS puts 64.3% of Montrose's 381 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 29.4% Direct and 6.3% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Montrose against the rest of the country
Montrose scores 71st nationally and 83rd within Missouri — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Montrose ranks 9,302 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,624 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 184 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Montrose
At the 71st percentile nationally, Montrose 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.
Hardening a home in Montrose
Montrose's 64.3% 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 381 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Montrose. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Montrose, see the exposure-zones guide.