Hiddenite, NC
Hiddenite, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hiddenite lands at the 41st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 447 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Hiddenite's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 44th percentile nationally.
Where Hiddenite's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 66% of Hiddenite's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 34% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 295 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Hiddenite compares
Hiddenite ranks lower within North Carolina (18th percentile statewide) than its 41st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hiddenite ranks 18,534 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,336 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 634 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
Hiddenite's elevated wildfire rating (41st percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Hiddenite's 66% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hiddenite's 18,534-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Hiddenite, see the exposure-zones guide.