Cowpens, SC
How exposed is Cowpens to wildfire?
Cowpens sits at the 61st 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 1,087 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Cowpens at the 64th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Cowpens's buildings actually sit
Of Cowpens's 1,087 counted buildings, 64.7% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Cowpens against the rest of the country
Cowpens ranks lower within South Carolina (21st percentile statewide) than its 61st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cowpens ranks 12,336 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,360 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 373 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
Cowpens's high rating (61st 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.
Hardening a home in Cowpens
Cowpens's 64.7% 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 Cowpens's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Cowpens's 12,336-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cowpens's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.