North Carolina wildfire risk
100 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Brunswick County has the highest wildfire risk in North Carolina, scoring 93.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick County | 93.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | Carteret County | 88.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 3 | Robeson County | 87.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 4 | Pender County | 86.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 5 | Onslow County | 85.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 6 | Bladen County | 84.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 7 | Cumberland County | 84.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 8 | Craven County | 83.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 9 | New Hanover County | 83 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Dare County | 82.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 11 | Scotland County | 82 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Moore County | 81.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Cherokee County | 81.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Buncombe County | 80.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 15 | Hoke County | 80.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Richmond County | 79.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Pamlico County | 78 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Columbus County | 77.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Hyde County | 74.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Sampson County | 69.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | Harnett County | 69.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Beaufort County | 66.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Duplin County | 65.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Clay County | 64.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Rutherford County | 63.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 26 | Madison County | 62.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | Mecklenburg County | 62.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 28 | Swain County | 60.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | McDowell County | 59.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Haywood County | 58.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Anson County | 58.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Macon County | 58.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 33 | Wake County | 57.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 34 | Currituck County | 57.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 35 | Tyrrell County | 57.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 36 | Wayne County | 55.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 37 | Lee County | 54.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 38 | Johnston County | 52.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 39 | Wilkes County | 52.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Caldwell County | 52 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Yancey County | 51.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Cabarrus County | 50.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Davidson County | 49.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Graham County | 49.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Jones County | 48.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Gaston County | 48.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Ashe County | 47.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Rowan County | 47.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Washington County | 47.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Burke County | 47 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Jackson County | 46.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Alleghany County | 45.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Henderson County | 45.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Montgomery County | 45.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Pasquotank County | 44.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Halifax County | 44 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Transylvania County | 44 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Guilford County | 43.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Polk County | 43.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Iredell County | 43.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Pitt County | 41.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Union County | 41.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Watauga County | 40.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Nash County | 40.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Cleveland County | 40.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Wilson County | 40.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Randolph County | 40.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Edgecombe County | 39.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Lincoln County | 37.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Catawba County | 36.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Bertie County | 36.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Forsyth County | 35.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Martin County | 35.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Granville County | 35.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Durham County | 34.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Avery County | 34.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Lenoir County | 33.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Mitchell County | 33.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Chatham County | 33 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Hertford County | 31.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Alamance County | 30.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Greene County | 29.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Perquimans County | 29.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Orange County | 28.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Alexander County | 28.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Surry County | 28.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Franklin County | 27 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Warren County | 26.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Chowan County | 26 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Northampton County | 24.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Stanly County | 24.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Caswell County | 24.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Camden County | 24 | Very Low | 0 |
| 94 | Rockingham County | 23.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 95 | Davie County | 23.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 96 | Person County | 20.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 97 | Yadkin County | 17.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 98 | Vance County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 99 | Stokes County | 16.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 100 | Gates County | 13 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Wildfire risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in North Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest wildfire risk county in North Carolina?
Brunswick County, NC has the highest wildfire risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 93.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes wildfire risk in North Carolina?
Wildfire risk reflects expected annual losses to buildings, population, and agriculture from wildfire, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. High scores cluster in the western US, where dry climate, fuel loads, and seasonal wind patterns combine with rapid suburban development into fire-prone terrain.