Bowman, SC
Bowman wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Bowman at the 58th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 633 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bowman at the 58th national percentile — 0 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
51.5% of Bowman's 633 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 326 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 48.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Bowman against the rest of the country
Bowman's 58th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 14th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 43 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bowman ranks 13,279 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,434 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 406 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Bowman and the insurance market
Bowman's elevated rating (58th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Bowman (51.5%), 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 633 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bowman. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Bowman, see the exposure-zones guide.