Swan Quarter, NC
Swan Quarter wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Swan Quarter at the 95th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 342 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Swan Quarter's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 90th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
342 buildings are counted in Swan Quarter, and 53.5% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 46.5% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Swan Quarter ranks
Swan Quarter's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (99th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (95th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Swan Quarter ranks 1,707 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,527 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 6 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Swan Quarter and the insurance market
At the 95th percentile nationally, Swan Quarter carries the very 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 53.5% of Swan Quarter's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Swan Quarter's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 342 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Swan Quarter. The exposure-zones guide covers what Swan Quarter's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.