Wilkesboro, NC
Wilkesboro wildfire risk explained
Wilkesboro sits at the 40th 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 1,899 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Wilkesboro at the 43rd percentile, close to its 40th-percentile risk score.
Wilkesboro's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Wilkesboro (63.8% of 1,899 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 36.2% sit in the Direct zone.
Wilkesboro against the rest of the country
Wilkesboro ranks lower within North Carolina (16th percentile statewide) than its 40th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wilkesboro ranks 18,790 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,770 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 647 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Wilkesboro and the insurance market
Wilkesboro's elevated rating (40th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Wilkesboro
Wilkesboro's 63.8% 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.
Where Wilkesboro's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,899 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Wilkesboro. The exposure-zones guide covers what Wilkesboro's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.