Does Branson, MO need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Branson in Seismic Design Category C: Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Nationally, Branson ranks above 70% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 70th percentile.

Where Branson sits in Missouri

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.104g, short-period spectral response 0.213g, 1-second spectral response 0.112g. Among 135 Missouri cities in this dataset, Branson ranks 73 for seismic hazard, the 46th percentile within the state. About 12,869 people live in Branson, Missouri.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Missouri. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

What this means for insurance

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Branson address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Branson's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.