Welcome, NC
Welcome, NC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Welcome lands at the 53rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 2,852 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Welcome at the 56th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Welcome's buildings actually sit
79.9% of Welcome's 2,852 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 2,278 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 20.1% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Welcome ranks
Welcome scores 53rd nationally and 45th 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, Welcome ranks 14,946 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,658 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 423 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 53rd national percentile, Welcome rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Welcome (79.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Welcome's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Welcome's 14,946-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Welcome's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.