Dillsboro, NC
How exposed is Dillsboro to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Dillsboro at the 75th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 168 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 Dillsboro at the 77th percentile, close to its 75th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Dillsboro (51.8% of 168 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 48.2% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Dillsboro ranks
Dillsboro's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (77th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (75th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Dillsboro ranks 7,949 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,106 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 180 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Dillsboro
Dillsboro's high rating (75th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Dillsboro (51.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Dillsboro's figures come from
Dillsboro's 75th-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 Dillsboro's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.