West, MS
West wildfire risk explained
West's 167 buildings earn a 73rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts West at the 76th percentile, close to its 73rd-percentile risk score.
West's building exposure, zone by zone
86.2% of West's 167 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 144 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 13.8% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where West ranks
West's risk sits at a similar level relative to Mississippi (67th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (73rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West ranks 8,414 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,137 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 140 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
West's high rating (73rd 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.
Hardening a home in West
With 86.2% of West 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.
Where West's figures come from
West's 73rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what West's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.