Montreat, NC
Montreat, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Montreat lands at the 76th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 537 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Montreat at the 78th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Montreat's building exposure, zone by zone
98% of Montreat's 537 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 526 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Montreat compares
There's little gap between Montreat's 76th national percentile and its 79th percentile inside North Carolina, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Montreat ranks 7,444 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,768 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 168 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Montreat's high rating (76th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
With 98% of Montreat in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Montreat's figures come from
Montreat's 76th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Montreat's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.