Cottageville, SC
How exposed is Cottageville to wildfire?
USFS scores Cottageville at the 80th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 569 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cottageville's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 80th percentile nationally.
Where Cottageville's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 99.3% of Cottageville's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0.7% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 565 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Cottageville compares
Cottageville scores 80th nationally and 83rd within South Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cottageville ranks 6,470 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,274 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 83 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
Cottageville's high rating (80th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Cottageville (99.3%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Cottageville's 80th-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 Cottageville, see the exposure-zones guide.