Salem, MO
Salem, MO's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Salem sits at the 77th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,866 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Salem at the 79th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Salem's building exposure, zone by zone
72.1% of Salem's 2,866 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 14% Direct and 13.9% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Salem against the rest of the country
Salem's 93rd-percentile standing inside Missouri outpaces its 77th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Salem ranks 7,376 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,636 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 75 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Salem's high rating (77th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
Salem's 72.1% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Salem's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,866 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Salem. The exposure-zones guide covers what Salem's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.