Tatum, SC
Tatum wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Tatum lands at the 82nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 65 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Tatum's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 82nd percentile nationally.
Where Tatum's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 50.8% of Tatum's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 49.2% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 33 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Where Tatum ranks
Tatum's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Carolina (88th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (82nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Tatum ranks 5,842 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,480 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 59 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 82nd percentile nationally, Tatum 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
Tatum's 50.8% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Tatum's figures come from
Tatum's 82nd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Tatum's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.