Athens, TN
How exposed is Athens to wildfire?
Athens sits at the 72nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 6,680 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Athens's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 76th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Athens (63.1% of 6,680 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 36.5% sit in the Direct zone. At 6,680 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Athens ranks
Athens's risk sits at a similar level relative to Tennessee (70th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (72nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Athens ranks 8,894 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,595 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 151 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Athens's high rating (72nd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Athens (63.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 6,680 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Athens. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Athens, see the exposure-zones guide.