Smiths Station, AL
How exposed is Smiths Station to wildfire?
Smiths Station's 2,776 buildings earn a 71st-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Smiths Station at the 73rd percentile, close to its 71st-percentile risk score.
Where Smiths Station's buildings actually sit
Of Smiths Station's 2,776 counted buildings, 68.2% 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 Smiths Station ranks
Smiths Station ranks lower within Alabama (49th percentile statewide) than its 71st national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Smiths Station ranks 9,128 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,810 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 305 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Smiths Station and the insurance market
At the 71st percentile nationally, Smiths Station carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Smiths Station (68.2%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Smiths Station's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Smiths Station's 9,128-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Smiths Station's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.