McDonough, GA
How exposed is McDonough to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts McDonough at the 55th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 9,000 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, McDonough's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 59th percentile nationally.
McDonough's building exposure, zone by zone
9,000 buildings are counted in McDonough, and 44.9% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 36.8% in Direct exposure or the 18.3% rated Minimal. At 9,000 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
Where McDonough ranks
McDonough ranks lower within Georgia (12th percentile statewide) than its 55th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, McDonough ranks 14,238 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 1,842 by building count (1 is largest). Within Georgia alone, it ranks 592 of 669 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Georgia on its state page.
McDonough and the insurance market
At the 55th national percentile, McDonough 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 44.9% of McDonough'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.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind McDonough's 14,238-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond McDonough, see the exposure-zones guide.