Harbor Island, SC
Harbor Island, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Harbor Island at the 90th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 296 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Harbor Island's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 81st percentile nationally.
Where Harbor Island's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 49.3% of Harbor Island's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 13.2% Indirect share and far above its 37.5% Minimal share — a profile where 146 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Harbor Island ranks
Harbor Island scores 90th nationally and 97th within South 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, Harbor Island ranks 3,288 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,741 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 16 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Harbor Island
At the 90th percentile nationally, Harbor Island carries the very 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
With 49.3% of Harbor Island 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 296 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Harbor Island. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Harbor Island, see the exposure-zones guide.