Hilham, TN
How exposed is Hilham to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Hilham lands at the 50th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 316 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Hilham at the 53rd percentile, close to its 50th-percentile risk score.
Hilham's building exposure, zone by zone
100% of Hilham's 316 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 316 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Hilham ranks
Hilham scores 50th nationally and 42nd 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, Hilham ranks 15,902 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,219 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 290 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Hilham's elevated rating (50th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Hilham (100%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hilham's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Hilham's 15,902-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hilham's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.