Live Oak, SC
Live Oak, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Live Oak at the 68th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 66 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Live Oak at the 65th national percentile — 3 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Live Oak's building exposure, zone by zone
66 buildings are counted in Live Oak, and 90.9% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Live Oak against the rest of the country
Live Oak's 68th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 49th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 19 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Live Oak ranks 10,130 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,448 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 245 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Live Oak and the insurance market
At the 68th percentile nationally, Live Oak 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Live Oak (90.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Live Oak's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 66 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Live Oak. The exposure-zones guide covers what Live Oak's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.