Florence, SC
How exposed is Florence to wildfire?
Florence sits at the 78th 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 15,497 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Florence at the 78th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Florence's buildings actually sit
38% of Florence's 15,497 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 27.3% Direct and 34.8% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone. At 15,497 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Florence ranks
Florence's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Carolina (80th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (78th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Florence ranks 6,846 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 952 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 96 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Florence and the insurance market
At the 78th percentile nationally, Florence carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Florence (38% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Florence's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 15,497 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Florence. The exposure-zones guide covers what Florence's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.