Out of 100 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 100 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 16/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 166 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macon | North Carolina | 33/100 | 11 | 5 |
| 2 | Carteret | North Carolina | 33/100 | 10 | 22 |
| 3 | Brunswick | North Carolina | 32/100 | 4 | 21 |
| 4 | Craven | North Carolina | 31/100 | 10 | 13 |
| 5 | Swain | North Carolina | 31/100 | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | Cherokee | North Carolina | 29/100 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Clay | North Carolina | 29/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Graham | North Carolina | 28/100 | 9 | 4 |
| 9 | Haywood | North Carolina | 28/100 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Jackson | North Carolina | 27/100 | 9 | 12 |
| 11 | Onslow | North Carolina | 26/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | McDowell | North Carolina | 25/100 | 9 | 5 |
| 13 | Transylvania | North Carolina | 25/100 | 2 | 7 |
| 14 | Pamlico | North Carolina | 25/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 | Martin | North Carolina | 24/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 16 | Buncombe | North Carolina | 23/100 | 3 | 27 |
| 17 | Henderson | North Carolina | 23/100 | 2 | 13 |
| 18 | Madison | North Carolina | 23/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 19 | New Hanover | North Carolina | 23/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 20 | Jones | North Carolina | 22/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 21 | Mitchell | North Carolina | 22/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Pender | North Carolina | 21/100 | 8 | 11 |
| 23 | Columbus | North Carolina | 21/100 | 8 | 16 |
| 24 | Montgomery | North Carolina | 21/100 | 6 | 9 |
| 25 | Avery | North Carolina | 21/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 26 | Moore | North Carolina | 21/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 27 | Rutherford | North Carolina | 20/100 | 2 | 9 |
| 28 | Caldwell | North Carolina | 20/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 29 | Cleveland | North Carolina | 20/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 30 | Polk | North Carolina | 19/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 31 | Beaufort | North Carolina | 19/100 | 3 | 12 |
| 32 | Bertie | North Carolina | 19/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 33 | Burke | North Carolina | 19/100 | 2 | 12 |
| 34 | Stanly | North Carolina | 19/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 35 | Washington | North Carolina | 19/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 | Gaston | North Carolina | 19/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 37 | Bladen | North Carolina | 18/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 38 | Robeson | North Carolina | 18/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 39 | Richmond | North Carolina | 18/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 40 | Hoke | North Carolina | 18/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 41 | Scotland | North Carolina | 17/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 42 | Chowan | North Carolina | 17/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 43 | Watauga | North Carolina | 17/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 44 | Rowan | North Carolina | 17/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 45 | Duplin | North Carolina | 17/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 46 | Pitt | North Carolina | 16/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 47 | Anson | North Carolina | 16/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 48 | Cabarrus | North Carolina | 16/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 49 | Hyde | North Carolina | 15/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 50 | Randolph | North Carolina | 15/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 51 | Yancey | North Carolina | 15/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 52 | Wilkes | North Carolina | 15/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 53 | Davidson | North Carolina | 15/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 54 | Lincoln | North Carolina | 15/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 55 | Cumberland | North Carolina | 14/100 | 2 | 23 |
| 56 | Mecklenburg | North Carolina | 14/100 | 0 | 79 |
| 57 | Lee | North Carolina | 14/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 58 | Hertford | North Carolina | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 59 | Tyrrell | North Carolina | 14/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 60 | Northampton | North Carolina | 13/100 | 2 | 15 |
| 61 | Dare | North Carolina | 13/100 | 1 | 21 |
| 62 | Alamance | North Carolina | 13/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 63 | Halifax | North Carolina | 13/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 64 | Lenoir | North Carolina | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 65 | Catawba | North Carolina | 13/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 66 | Yadkin | North Carolina | 12/100 | 2 | 7 |
| 67 | Surry | North Carolina | 12/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 68 | Sampson | North Carolina | 12/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 69 | Ashe | North Carolina | 12/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 70 | Alleghany | North Carolina | 12/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 71 | Forsyth | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 36 |
| 72 | Iredell | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 73 | Davie | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 74 | Chatham | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 75 | Guilford | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 47 |
| 76 | Edgecombe | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 77 | Pasquotank | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 78 | Gates | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 79 | Perquimans | North Carolina | 12/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 80 | Stokes | North Carolina | 11/100 | 2 | 9 |
| 81 | Nash | North Carolina | 11/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 82 | Alexander | North Carolina | 11/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 83 | Wilson | North Carolina | 11/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 84 | Greene | North Carolina | 11/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 85 | Union | North Carolina | 11/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 86 | Harnett | North Carolina | 10/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 87 | Currituck | North Carolina | 9/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 88 | Wayne | North Carolina | 9/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 89 | Camden | North Carolina | 8/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 90 | Franklin | North Carolina | 8/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 91 | Warren | North Carolina | 8/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 92 | Rockingham | North Carolina | 7/100 | 2 | 9 |
| 93 | Caswell | North Carolina | 7/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 94 | Wake | North Carolina | 7/100 | 0 | 54 |
| 95 | Johnston | North Carolina | 7/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 96 | Vance | North Carolina | 7/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 97 | Person | North Carolina | 7/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 98 | Orange | North Carolina | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 99 | Granville | North Carolina | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 100 | Durham | North Carolina | 6/100 | 0 | 16 |
Methodology
County rankings for North Carolina based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.