Patterson Springs, NC
How exposed is Patterson Springs to wildfire?
USFS scores Patterson Springs at the 60th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 383 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Patterson Springs's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 63rd percentile nationally.
Where Patterson Springs's buildings actually sit
Of Patterson Springs's 383 counted buildings, 88.3% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Where Patterson Springs ranks
Patterson Springs's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (58th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (60th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Patterson Springs ranks 12,680 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,568 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 322 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
Patterson Springs's elevated rating (60th 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 Patterson Springs
Patterson Springs's 88.3% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 383 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Patterson Springs. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Patterson Springs, see the exposure-zones guide.