Wellford, SC
Wellford, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Wellford lands at the 57th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,671 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Wellford at the 60th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
1,671 buildings are counted in Wellford, and 63.5% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 2.3% rated Minimal.
Wellford against the rest of the country
Wellford's 57th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 14th ranking inside South Carolina does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 44 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wellford ranks 13,533 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,521 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 411 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Wellford and the insurance market
Wellford's elevated rating (57th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 63.5% of Wellford 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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,671 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Wellford. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Wellford, see the exposure-zones guide.