Guntersville, AL
Guntersville wildfire risk explained
Guntersville's 4,755 buildings earn a 69th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Guntersville at the 72nd national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Guntersville's buildings actually sit
Of Guntersville's 4,755 counted buildings, 50.7% carry Direct exposure and only 4.9% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Guntersville compares
Guntersville ranks lower within Alabama (43rd percentile statewide) than its 69th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Guntersville ranks 9,885 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,589 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 337 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Guntersville and the insurance market
At the 69th percentile nationally, Guntersville 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Guntersville (50.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Guntersville's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 4,755 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Guntersville. The exposure-zones guide covers what Guntersville's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.