Murphy, MO
Murphy wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Murphy lands at the 45th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 4,190 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Murphy at the 46th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Murphy's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 45% of Murphy's 4,190 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 22.5% Direct and 32.5% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Murphy against the rest of the country
Murphy's 45th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 25th ranking inside Missouri does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 21 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Murphy ranks 17,237 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,067 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 802 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Murphy
At the 45th national percentile, Murphy rates elevated 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
Murphy's 45% 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 Murphy's figures come from
Murphy's 45th-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 Murphy's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.