Gibson, NC
Gibson wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Gibson at the 84th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 270 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gibson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 85th percentile nationally.
Gibson's building exposure, zone by zone
53.7% of Gibson's 270 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 145 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 46.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Gibson ranks
Gibson scores 84th nationally and 92nd 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, Gibson ranks 5,171 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,511 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 62 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Gibson
Gibson's very high rating (84th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Hardening a home in Gibson
Because Direct exposure dominates in Gibson (53.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gibson's 5,171-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Gibson, see the exposure-zones guide.