Coward, SC
Coward wildfire risk explained
Coward sits at the 84th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 535 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Coward's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 84th percentile nationally.
Coward's building exposure, zone by zone
79.1% of Coward's 535 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 423 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 20.9% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Coward ranks
Coward's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Carolina (91st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (84th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Coward ranks 5,148 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,803 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 41 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
Coward's very high rating (84th 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
Coward's 79.1% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Coward's figures come from
Coward's 84th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Coward's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.