Maggie Valley, NC
Maggie Valley wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Maggie Valley at the 72nd national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,742 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Maggie Valley at the 75th national percentile — 3 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
59.5% of Maggie Valley's 1,742 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,036 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 40.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Maggie Valley compares
Maggie Valley scores 72nd nationally and 73rd within North Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Maggie Valley ranks 8,735 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,259 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 209 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Maggie Valley and the insurance market
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Maggie Valley 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 Maggie Valley
Because Direct exposure dominates in Maggie Valley (59.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,742 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Maggie Valley. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Maggie Valley, see the exposure-zones guide.