Whitmire, SC
Whitmire, SC's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Whitmire lands at the 66th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 977 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Whitmire at the 68th percentile, close to its 66th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
61.1% of Whitmire's 977 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 38.9% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Whitmire ranks
Whitmire ranks lower within South Carolina (40th percentile statewide) than its 66th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Whitmire ranks 10,695 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,094 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 285 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Whitmire and the insurance market
At the 66th percentile nationally, Whitmire carries the 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Whitmire's 61.1% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Whitmire's 66th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Whitmire, see the exposure-zones guide.