Oxford, MS: what USGS's seismic model says

Oxford carries Seismic Design Category D under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Nationally, Oxford ranks above 82% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 82th percentile.

Where Oxford sits in Mississippi

USGS's underlying values for Oxford: 0.216g peak ground acceleration, 0.412g at short period, 0.178g at 1 second. Within Mississippi alone, Oxford ranks 9 of 61 cities by seismic hazard - the 87th percentile in-state. Oxford has a population of about 26,801.

Retrofit economics for Oxford

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Mississippi specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Mississippi.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Oxford homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Oxford's figures come from

Oxford's Category D and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category D does and doesn't tell you about Oxford.