Out of 111 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 111 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 17/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 943 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | Missouri | 36/100 | 74 | 18 |
| 2 | Howell | Missouri | 36/100 | 61 | 7 |
| 3 | Dent | Missouri | 36/100 | 36 | 2 |
| 4 | Douglas | Missouri | 36/100 | 19 | 2 |
| 5 | Wright | Missouri | 35/100 | 19 | 7 |
| 6 | Shannon | Missouri | 34/100 | 62 | 4 |
| 7 | Taney | Missouri | 33/100 | 57 | 18 |
| 8 | Christian | Missouri | 33/100 | 37 | 11 |
| 9 | Ozark | Missouri | 32/100 | 61 | 18 |
| 10 | Phelps | Missouri | 32/100 | 58 | 11 |
| 11 | Pulaski | Missouri | 32/100 | 40 | 10 |
| 12 | Laclede | Missouri | 32/100 | 40 | 6 |
| 13 | Oregon | Missouri | 32/100 | 34 | 6 |
| 14 | Carter | Missouri | 32/100 | 26 | 4 |
| 15 | Wayne | Missouri | 32/100 | 23 | 10 |
| 16 | Stone | Missouri | 32/100 | 2 | 11 |
| 17 | Reynolds | Missouri | 31/100 | 33 | 6 |
| 18 | Webster | Missouri | 31/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 19 | Barry | Missouri | 30/100 | 33 | 10 |
| 20 | Crawford | Missouri | 30/100 | 18 | 6 |
| 21 | Greene | Missouri | 28/100 | 0 | 28 |
| 22 | Ripley | Missouri | 27/100 | 25 | 6 |
| 23 | Washington | Missouri | 26/100 | 33 | 8 |
| 24 | McDonald | Missouri | 26/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 25 | Camden | Missouri | 26/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 26 | Maries | Missouri | 26/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Iron | Missouri | 25/100 | 36 | 17 |
| 28 | Butler | Missouri | 25/100 | 25 | 9 |
| 29 | Putnam | Missouri | 23/100 | 33 | 3 |
| 30 | Madison | Missouri | 22/100 | 23 | 4 |
| 31 | St. Francois | Missouri | 22/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 32 | Miller | Missouri | 22/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 33 | Lawrence | Missouri | 22/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 34 | Dallas | Missouri | 22/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 35 | Newton | Missouri | 21/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 36 | Stoddard | Missouri | 19/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 37 | Cape Girardeau | Missouri | 18/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 38 | Polk | Missouri | 18/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 39 | Hickory | Missouri | 18/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 40 | Osage | Missouri | 17/100 | 1 | 13 |
| 41 | Perry | Missouri | 17/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 42 | Bollinger | Missouri | 17/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 43 | Platte | Missouri | 17/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 44 | Jasper | Missouri | 17/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 45 | Franklin | Missouri | 16/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 46 | Ste. Genevieve | Missouri | 16/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 47 | Jackson | Missouri | 16/100 | 0 | 77 |
| 48 | Cole | Missouri | 16/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 49 | Franklin,St. Louis | Missouri | 15/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 50 | Clay | Missouri | 15/100 | 0 | 26 |
| 51 | Morgan | Missouri | 15/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 52 | St. Louis | Missouri | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 53 | Scott | Missouri | 14/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 54 | Buchanan | Missouri | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 55 | Dade | Missouri | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 56 | Gasconade | Missouri | 13/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 57 | Clinton | Missouri | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 58 | Warren | Missouri | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 59 | Mississippi | Missouri | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 60 | Atchison | Missouri | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 61 | Benton | Missouri | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 62 | Jefferson | Missouri | 11/100 | 33 | 94 |
| 63 | Callaway | Missouri | 11/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 64 | Dunklin | Missouri | 11/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 65 | New Madrid | Missouri | 11/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 66 | Cass | Missouri | 11/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 67 | Ray | Missouri | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 68 | Andrew | Missouri | 11/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 69 | Holt | Missouri | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 70 | Cedar | Missouri | 10/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 71 | St. Charles | Missouri | 9/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 72 | Nodaway | Missouri | 9/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 73 | Bates | Missouri | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 74 | St. Clair | Missouri | 9/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 75 | Moniteau | Missouri | 9/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 76 | Pemiscot | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 77 | Gentry | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 78 | Worth | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 79 | DeKalb | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 80 | Harrison | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 81 | Livingston | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 82 | Daviess | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 83 | Caldwell | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 84 | Grundy | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 85 | Henry | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 86 | Barton | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 87 | Pettis | Missouri | 8/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 88 | Audrain | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 89 | Lincoln | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 90 | Montgomery | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 91 | Lafayette | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 92 | Johnson | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 93 | Carroll | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 94 | Chariton | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 95 | Vernon | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 96 | Cooper | Missouri | 7/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 97 | Pike | Missouri | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 98 | Ralls | Missouri | 6/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 99 | Monroe | Missouri | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 100 | Linn | Missouri | 6/100 | 0 | 10 |
Methodology
County rankings for Missouri based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.