Branchville, SC
How exposed is Branchville to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Branchville at the 65th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 697 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Branchville at the 65th percentile, close to its 65th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
78.8% of Branchville's 697 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 549 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 21.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Branchville ranks
Branchville ranks lower within South Carolina (34th percentile statewide) than its 65th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Branchville ranks 11,103 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,697 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 311 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Branchville's high rating (65th 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
With 78.8% of Branchville 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.
More on how this number was built
Branchville's 65th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Branchville, see the exposure-zones guide.