Chowan Beach, NC
Chowan Beach wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Chowan Beach at the 46th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 217 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 Chowan Beach at the 45th percentile, close to its 46th-percentile risk score.
Where Chowan Beach's buildings actually sit
74.7% of Chowan Beach's 217 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 162 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 23.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 1.8% are Minimal.
Chowan Beach against the rest of the country
Chowan Beach's 46th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 28th ranking inside North Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 18 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chowan Beach ranks 17,122 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,239 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 557 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Chowan Beach and the insurance market
At the 46th national percentile, Chowan Beach rates elevated 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
Because Direct exposure dominates in Chowan Beach (74.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Chowan Beach's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 217 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Chowan Beach. The exposure-zones guide covers what Chowan Beach's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.