Northwest, NC
How exposed is Northwest to wildfire?
Northwest sits at the 81st percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 504 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Northwest at the 80th percentile, close to its 81st-percentile risk score.
Where Northwest's buildings actually sit
97.4% of Northwest's 504 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 491 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.6% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Northwest ranks
Northwest scores 81st nationally and 87th within North Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Northwest ranks 6,056 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,270 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 104 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Northwest
Northwest's very high rating (81st 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.
Hardening a home in Northwest
Because Direct exposure dominates in Northwest (97.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Northwest's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 504 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Northwest. The exposure-zones guide covers what Northwest's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.