Gilbert, SC
Gilbert wildfire risk explained
Gilbert sits at the 63rd 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 497 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Gilbert at the 63rd percentile, close to its 63rd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
74.5% of Gilbert's 497 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 370 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 25.6% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Gilbert ranks
Gilbert's 63rd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 27th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 36 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gilbert ranks 11,766 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,414 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 346 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Gilbert and the insurance market
Gilbert's high rating (63rd 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 Gilbert
With 74.5% of Gilbert 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 Gilbert's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 497 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gilbert. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gilbert's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.