Helenwood, TN
How exposed is Helenwood to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Helenwood lands at the 85th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 201 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Helenwood at the 88th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Helenwood's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 75.6% of Helenwood's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 24.4% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 152 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Helenwood ranks
Helenwood scores 85th nationally and 95th within Tennessee — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helenwood ranks 4,734 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,817 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 25 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
Helenwood and the insurance market
Helenwood's very high rating (85th 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 Helenwood
Because Direct exposure dominates in Helenwood (75.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 201 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Helenwood. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Helenwood, see the exposure-zones guide.