Sledge, MS
How exposed is Sledge to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Sledge at the 60th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 267 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sledge's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
Where Sledge's buildings actually sit
63.7% of Sledge's 267 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 36.3% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Sledge ranks
Sledge's 60th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 35th ranking inside Mississippi does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 25 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sledge ranks 12,608 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,604 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 275 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Sledge and the insurance market
At the 60th national percentile, Sledge rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 63.7% of Sledge's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Sledge's 12,608-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Sledge, see the exposure-zones guide.