Clemson University, SC
Clemson University wildfire risk explained
Clemson University sits at the 60th 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 377 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 Clemson University at the 64th percentile, close to its 60th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 49.3% of Clemson University's 377 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 23.3% Direct and 27.3% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Clemson University ranks
Inside South Carolina, Clemson University sits at just the 20th percentile even though it scores 60th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clemson University ranks 12,491 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,729 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 380 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Clemson University and the insurance market
Clemson University's 60th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Clemson University
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Clemson University (49.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Clemson University's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 377 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Clemson University. The exposure-zones guide covers what Clemson University's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.