Johnston, SC
How exposed is Johnston to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Johnston at the 68th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,284 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Johnston at the 70th percentile, close to its 68th-percentile risk score.
Where Johnston's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 50.5% of Johnston's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 49.5% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 648 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Johnston against the rest of the country
Johnston's 68th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 50th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 18 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Johnston ranks 10,062 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,170 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 238 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Johnston and the insurance market
At the 68th percentile nationally, Johnston 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.
Hardening a home in Johnston
Because Direct exposure dominates in Johnston (50.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Johnston's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Johnston's 10,062-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Johnston's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.