Rolla, KS
How exposed is Rolla to wildfire?
USFS scores Rolla at the 85th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 318 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Rolla's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 85th percentile nationally.
Where Rolla's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 84.6% of Rolla's 318 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 15.4% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Rolla ranks
Rolla scores 85th nationally and 85th within Kansas — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Rolla ranks 4,635 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,152 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 106 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Rolla
At the 85th percentile nationally, Rolla 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Rolla (84.6% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Rolla's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Rolla's 4,635-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Rolla's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.