Locust, NC
Locust wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Locust lands at the 37th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 2,127 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 Locust at the 40th percentile, close to its 37th-percentile risk score.
Where Locust's buildings actually sit
Of Locust's 2,127 counted buildings, 77.4% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Locust ranks
Locust ranks lower within North Carolina (11th percentile statewide) than its 37th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Locust ranks 19,765 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,123 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 687 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Locust and the insurance market
At the 37th national percentile, Locust rates moderate 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
With 77.4% of Locust in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Locust's figures come from
Locust's 37th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Locust's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.