Nelson, MO
How exposed is Nelson to wildfire?
Nelson's 145 buildings earn a 59th-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 Nelson at the 60th percentile, close to its 59th-percentile risk score.
Where Nelson's buildings actually sit
53.1% of Nelson's 145 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 46.9% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Nelson compares
Nelson's risk sits at a similar level relative to Missouri (53rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (59th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Nelson ranks 12,862 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,083 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 503 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Nelson
Nelson's elevated rating (59th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Nelson
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Nelson (53.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Nelson's 59th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Nelson, see the exposure-zones guide.