East Gaffney, SC
How exposed is East Gaffney to wildfire?
USFS scores East Gaffney at the 56th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,899 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, East Gaffney's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
57.7% of East Gaffney's 1,899 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 42.3% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where East Gaffney ranks
East Gaffney's 56th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 10th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 45 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, East Gaffney ranks 14,038 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,772 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 425 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
At the 56th national percentile, East Gaffney rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in East Gaffney
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in East Gaffney (57.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where East Gaffney's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,899 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for East Gaffney. The exposure-zones guide covers what East Gaffney's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.