Black Mountain, NC
Black Mountain, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Black Mountain at the 71st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 4,379 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Black Mountain at the 73rd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 72.3% of Black Mountain's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 27.7% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 3,165 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Black Mountain against the rest of the country
Black Mountain's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (71st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (71st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Black Mountain ranks 9,304 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,895 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 227 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Black Mountain
At the 71st percentile nationally, Black Mountain carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Black Mountain
With 72.3% of Black Mountain in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Black Mountain's figures come from
Black Mountain's 71st-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Black Mountain's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.