Oxford, NC
How exposed is Oxford to wildfire?
USFS scores Oxford at the 40th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 3,931 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Oxford at the 41st percentile, close to its 40th-percentile risk score.
Oxford's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 52.1% of Oxford's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 30.2% Indirect share and far above its 17.8% Minimal share — a profile where 2,047 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Oxford ranks
Oxford's 40th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 15th ranking inside North Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 25 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Oxford ranks 19,009 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,307 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 654 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
Oxford's moderate wildfire rating (40th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Oxford (52.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Oxford's figures come from
Oxford's 40th-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 Oxford's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.