Highlands, NC
Highlands wildfire risk explained
Highlands's 1,979 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 Highlands at the 71st national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Highlands's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 87% of Highlands's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 13% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 1,721 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Highlands compares
Highlands's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (69th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (69th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Highlands ranks 9,840 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,535 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 243 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Highlands
At the 69th percentile nationally, Highlands 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 Highlands (87%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Highlands's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Highlands's 9,840-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Highlands's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.