Smithville, MS
Smithville, MS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Smithville at the 58th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 538 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Smithville's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
Smithville's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 60.2% of Smithville's 538 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 39.8% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Smithville ranks
Smithville's 58th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 29th ranking inside Mississippi does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 29 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Smithville ranks 13,307 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,752 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 299 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Smithville's elevated rating (58th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Smithville's 60.2% 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 Smithville's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Smithville's 13,307-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Smithville's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.