Anderson, SC
Anderson, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Anderson sits at the 55th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 12,461 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Anderson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
45.1% of Anderson's 12,461 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 32.7% Direct and 22.2% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone. At 12,461 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Anderson against the rest of the country
Anderson ranks lower within South Carolina (10th percentile statewide) than its 55th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Anderson ranks 14,105 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 1,238 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 428 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Anderson's elevated rating (55th 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
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Anderson (45.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Anderson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Anderson's 14,105-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Anderson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.