Winchester, MO
Winchester, MO's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Winchester at the 29th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 647 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Winchester at the 32nd national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Winchester's buildings actually sit
97.7% of Winchester's 647 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 2.3% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Winchester ranks
Winchester ranks lower within Missouri (9th percentile statewide) than its 29th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Winchester ranks 22,382 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,232 by building count (1 is largest). Within Missouri alone, it ranks 966 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
Winchester's moderate rating (29th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Even with 97.7% of Winchester outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Winchester's figures come from
Winchester's 29th-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 Winchester's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.