Monterey, TN
How exposed is Monterey to wildfire?
Monterey's 1,407 buildings earn a 72nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Monterey 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
Indirect exposure is dominant in Monterey (53.3% of 1,407 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 46.7% sit in the Direct zone.
Monterey against the rest of the country
Monterey's risk sits at a similar level relative to Tennessee (71st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (72nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Monterey ranks 8,706 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,598 by building count (1 is largest). Within Tennessee alone, it ranks 147 of 502 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Tennessee on its state page.
Monterey and the insurance market
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Monterey 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Monterey's 53.3% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Monterey's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Monterey's 8,706-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Monterey's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.