White Branch, MO
White Branch, MO's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, White Branch lands at the 76th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 258 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks White Branch at the 78th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
White Branch's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of White Branch's buildings (66.3%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Where White Branch ranks
Compare White Branch's two percentiles: 93rd within Missouri, only 76th nationally — a gap of 16 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, White Branch ranks 7,475 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,891 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 78 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
At the 76th percentile nationally, White Branch 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.
What would actually reduce this score
White Branch's 66.3% 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 White Branch's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 258 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for White Branch. The exposure-zones guide covers what White Branch's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.