Blowing Rock, NC
Blowing Rock, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Blowing Rock's 1,826 buildings earn a 65th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Blowing Rock at the 67th 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
Direct exposure dominates in Blowing Rock: 65.6% of its 1,826 buildings, versus 34.5% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Blowing Rock against the rest of the country
Blowing Rock scores 65th nationally and 65th within North Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Blowing Rock ranks 11,010 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,992 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 269 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Blowing Rock and the insurance market
At the 65th percentile nationally, Blowing Rock 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 65.6% of Blowing Rock 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 Blowing Rock's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,826 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Blowing Rock. The exposure-zones guide covers what Blowing Rock's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.