Gatlinburg, TN
Gatlinburg, TN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Gatlinburg sits at the 79th 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 3,686 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gatlinburg at the 81st national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Gatlinburg's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 80.2% of Gatlinburg's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 19.8% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 2,956 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Gatlinburg ranks
Gatlinburg's risk sits at a similar level relative to Tennessee (84th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (79th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gatlinburg ranks 6,664 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,546 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 81 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 79th percentile nationally, Gatlinburg 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 80.2% of Gatlinburg in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Gatlinburg's figures come from
Gatlinburg's 79th-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 Gatlinburg's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.