Petal, MS
Petal, MS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Petal's 5,432 buildings earn a 85th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Petal's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 87th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
5,432 buildings are counted in Petal, and 52.2% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 4.4% rated Minimal. At 5,432 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Petal ranks
Petal scores 85th nationally and 88th within Mississippi — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Petal ranks 4,761 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,180 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 53 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Petal
At the 85th percentile nationally, Petal carries the very 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 Petal
Because Direct exposure dominates in Petal (52.2%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Petal's figures come from
Petal's 85th-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 Petal's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.