Moscow, IA
Moscow, IA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Moscow at the 46th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 240 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Moscow at the 47th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Moscow's buildings actually sit
59.2% of Moscow's 240 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 40.8% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Moscow against the rest of the country
Within Iowa, Moscow ranks higher (62nd percentile) than it does nationally (46th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Moscow ranks 17,135 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,460 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 385 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Moscow
Moscow's elevated rating (46th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Moscow's 59.2% 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.
Where Moscow's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 240 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Moscow. The exposure-zones guide covers what Moscow's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.