Carthage, TN
Carthage wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Carthage at the 29th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 1,067 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Carthage's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 31st percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Carthage (70.4% of 1,067 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 29.5% sit in the Direct zone.
Carthage against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Carthage's 29th national percentile and its 16th percentile inside Tennessee, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Carthage ranks 22,516 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,479 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 424 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 29th national percentile, Carthage rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Carthage (70.4% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Carthage's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Carthage's 22,516-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Carthage's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.