Fletcher, NC
Fletcher wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Fletcher at the 54th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 3,240 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Fletcher's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 57th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Fletcher (46.1% of 3,240 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 43.2% sit in the Direct zone.
How Fletcher compares
Fletcher scores 54th nationally and 49th within North 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, Fletcher ranks 14,474 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,117 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 393 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Fletcher
At the 54th national percentile, Fletcher rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Fletcher (46.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Fletcher's 14,474-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Fletcher, see the exposure-zones guide.