Newton, MS
How exposed is Newton to wildfire?
USFS scores Newton at the 59th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,841 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Newton at the 61st percentile, close to its 59th-percentile risk score.
Newton's building exposure, zone by zone
71.9% of Newton's 1,841 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,324 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 28.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Newton ranks
Newton's 59th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 32nd ranking inside Mississippi does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 27 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Newton ranks 12,889 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,949 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 286 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Newton and the insurance market
Newton'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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Newton's 71.9% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Newton's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Newton's 12,889-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Newton's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.