McSwain, CA
McSwain wildfire risk explained
USFS scores McSwain at the 76th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,425 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, McSwain's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 76th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
2,425 buildings are counted in McSwain, and 69.9% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 30.1% rated Minimal.
Where McSwain ranks
McSwain ranks lower within California (34th percentile statewide) than its 76th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, McSwain ranks 7,648 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,451 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,036 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
McSwain and the insurance market
McSwain's 76th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
McSwain's 69.9% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where McSwain's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind McSwain's 7,648-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what McSwain's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.