Blythewood, SC
Blythewood, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Blythewood lands at the 70th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 2,137 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Blythewood at the 73rd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Blythewood's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 75% of Blythewood's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 25% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 1,603 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Blythewood against the rest of the country
Blythewood scores 70th nationally and 59th within South 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, Blythewood ranks 9,366 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,103 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 193 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Blythewood and the insurance market
Blythewood's high rating (70th 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Blythewood (75%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,137 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Blythewood. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Blythewood, see the exposure-zones guide.