Charleston, TN
Charleston wildfire risk explained
Charleston sits at the 68th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 582 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Charleston at the 74th percentile, close to its 68th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Charleston: 54.8% of its 582 buildings, versus 45.2% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Charleston ranks
Charleston scores 68th nationally and 63rd within Tennessee — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Charleston ranks 9,969 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,084 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 188 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 68th percentile nationally, Charleston carries the 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Charleston (54.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Charleston's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Charleston's 9,969-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Charleston's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.