Lexington, SC
Lexington wildfire risk explained
Lexington's 8,558 buildings earn a 59th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Lexington at the 62nd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Lexington's buildings (52.1%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone. At 8,558 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Lexington against the rest of the country
Lexington ranks lower within South Carolina (17th percentile statewide) than its 59th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lexington ranks 12,838 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 1,941 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 393 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Lexington and the insurance market
At the 59th national percentile, Lexington rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 52.1% of Lexington's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Lexington's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Lexington's 12,838-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lexington's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.