McDonald, TN
McDonald wildfire risk explained
McDonald sits at the 74th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 341 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, McDonald's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 78th percentile nationally.
McDonald's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in McDonald: 96.2% of its 341 buildings, versus 3.8% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where McDonald ranks
There's little gap between McDonald's 74th national percentile and its 75th percentile inside Tennessee, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, McDonald ranks 8,170 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,565 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 130 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
McDonald's 74th-percentile, high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in McDonald (96.2%), 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 341 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for McDonald. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond McDonald, see the exposure-zones guide.