Waco, NC
Waco wildfire risk explained
Waco sits at the 60th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 239 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Waco's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 63rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Waco: 67.8% of its 239 buildings, versus 32.2% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Waco ranks
Waco's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (59th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (60th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waco ranks 12,615 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,504 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 321 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Waco and the insurance market
Waco's elevated wildfire rating (60th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Waco (67.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Waco's 12,615-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Waco, see the exposure-zones guide.