Salem, GA
Salem wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Salem lands at the 80th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 255 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Salem at the 82nd national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Salem's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 100% of Salem's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 255 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Salem against the rest of the country
Salem's risk sits at a similar level relative to Georgia (91st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (80th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Salem ranks 6,329 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,973 by building count (1 is largest). Within Georgia alone, it ranks 62 of 669 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Georgia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Salem
Salem's high rating (80th 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 100% of Salem 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.
More on how this number was built
Salem's 80th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Salem, see the exposure-zones guide.