Walnut Creek, NC
Walnut Creek, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Walnut Creek lands at the 45th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 451 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Walnut Creek at the 45th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Direct exposure dominates in Walnut Creek: 92% of its 451 buildings, versus 6.2% Indirect and 1.8% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Walnut Creek against the rest of the country
Walnut Creek ranks lower within North Carolina (26th percentile statewide) than its 45th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Walnut Creek ranks 17,243 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,261 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 569 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek's elevated wildfire rating (45th 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.
Hardening a home in Walnut Creek
With 92% of Walnut Creek in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Walnut Creek's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Walnut Creek's 17,243-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Walnut Creek's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.