Granite Falls, NC
How exposed is Granite Falls to wildfire?
USFS scores Granite Falls at the 42nd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,249 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Granite Falls's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 47.8% of Granite Falls's 2,249 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 41.2% Direct and 11% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Granite Falls ranks
Inside North Carolina, Granite Falls sits at just the 19th percentile even though it scores 42nd nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Granite Falls ranks 18,440 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,817 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 627 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 42nd national percentile, Granite Falls rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Granite Falls (47.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Granite Falls's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,249 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Granite Falls. The exposure-zones guide covers what Granite Falls's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.