Spencer, NC
Spencer wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Spencer lands at the 54th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,861 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Spencer's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 56th percentile nationally.
Spencer's building exposure, zone by zone
1,861 buildings are counted in Spencer, and 60.3% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 39.7% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Spencer ranks
Spencer scores 54th nationally and 48th within North Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Spencer ranks 14,660 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,882 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 403 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Spencer and the insurance market
Spencer's elevated rating (54th 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
Spencer's 60.3% 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,861 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Spencer. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Spencer, see the exposure-zones guide.