Rensselaer, MO
How exposed is Rensselaer to wildfire?
Rensselaer's 151 buildings earn a 53rd-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 Rensselaer at the 55th percentile, close to its 53rd-percentile risk score.
Where Rensselaer's buildings actually sit
79.5% of Rensselaer's 151 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 120 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 19.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 1.3% are Minimal.
Rensselaer against the rest of the country
Rensselaer scores 53rd nationally and 39th within Missouri — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Rensselaer ranks 14,756 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,847 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 647 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Rensselaer
Rensselaer's elevated rating (53rd 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Rensselaer (79.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Rensselaer's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Rensselaer's 14,756-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Rensselaer's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.