Waco, MO
Waco, MO's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Waco sits at the 60th 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 94 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Waco at the 62nd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Waco's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Waco's 94 counted buildings, 58.5% carry Direct exposure and only 41.5% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Waco ranks
Waco's risk sits at a similar level relative to Missouri (56th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (60th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waco ranks 12,548 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,322 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 468 of 1,062 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Missouri on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Waco
At the 60th percentile nationally, Waco carries the 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 58.5% of Waco in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 94 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Waco. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Waco, see the exposure-zones guide.