North Wilkesboro, NC
North Wilkesboro wildfire risk explained
USFS scores North Wilkesboro at the 41st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 2,294 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, North Wilkesboro's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 44th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in North Wilkesboro (53.1% of 2,294 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 42.6% sit in the Direct zone.
North Wilkesboro against the rest of the country
North Wilkesboro's 41st national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 18th ranking inside North Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 23 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, North Wilkesboro ranks 18,537 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,712 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 637 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in North Wilkesboro
North Wilkesboro's elevated rating (41st percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in North Wilkesboro
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in North Wilkesboro (53.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where North Wilkesboro's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind North Wilkesboro's 18,537-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what North Wilkesboro's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.