Scotland Neck, NC
Scotland Neck wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Scotland Neck lands at the 46th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,173 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Scotland Neck at the 46th percentile, close to its 46th-percentile risk score.
Where Scotland Neck's buildings actually sit
1,173 buildings are counted in Scotland Neck, and 53.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 46.6% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Scotland Neck compares
Scotland Neck ranks lower within North Carolina (28th percentile statewide) than its 46th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Scotland Neck ranks 17,124 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,811 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 559 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Scotland Neck and the insurance market
Scotland Neck's elevated rating (46th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Scotland Neck's 53.5% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Scotland Neck's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Scotland Neck's 17,124-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Scotland Neck's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.