Hartsville, SC
How exposed is Hartsville to wildfire?
Hartsville sits at the 74th 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 3,999 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Hartsville's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 73rd percentile nationally.
Where Hartsville's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 62.8% of Hartsville's 3,999 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 31.9% Direct and 5.3% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
How Hartsville compares
Hartsville's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Carolina (71st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (74th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hartsville ranks 8,231 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,248 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 138 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hartsville
Hartsville's high rating (74th 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Hartsville (62.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Hartsville's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,999 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Hartsville. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hartsville's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.