Franklin, NC
Franklin wildfire risk explained
Franklin's 2,523 buildings earn a 72nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Franklin at the 76th percentile, close to its 72nd-percentile risk score.
Franklin's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 51.3% of Franklin's 2,523 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 48.7% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Franklin against the rest of the country
Franklin scores 72nd nationally and 73rd 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, Franklin ranks 8,830 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,261 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 212 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Franklin
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Franklin 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.
Hardening a home in Franklin
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Franklin (51.3% 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,523 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Franklin. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Franklin, see the exposure-zones guide.