Bonneau Beach, SC
How exposed is Bonneau Beach to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Bonneau Beach at the 86th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 1,432 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bonneau Beach at the 86th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Bonneau Beach's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 67.6% of Bonneau Beach's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 28.2% Indirect share and far above its 4.2% Minimal share — a profile where 968 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Bonneau Beach ranks
Bonneau Beach's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Carolina (93rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (86th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bonneau Beach ranks 4,482 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,468 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 34 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Bonneau Beach and the insurance market
At the 86th percentile nationally, Bonneau Beach carries the very 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Bonneau Beach (67.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Bonneau Beach's figures come from
Bonneau Beach's 86th-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 Bonneau Beach's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.