Gaffney, SC
Gaffney, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Gaffney sits at the 59th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 5,818 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gaffney at the 62nd national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
5,818 buildings are counted in Gaffney, and 58.6% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 31.1% in Direct exposure or the 10.4% rated Minimal. At 5,818 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where Gaffney ranks
Gaffney ranks lower within South Carolina (17th percentile statewide) than its 59th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gaffney ranks 12,904 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,964 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 395 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Gaffney and the insurance market
At the 59th national percentile, 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Gaffney's 58.6% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Gaffney's figures come from
Gaffney's 59th-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 Gaffney's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.