Alderson, WV
Alderson wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Alderson at the 55th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 682 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Alderson at the 57th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Alderson's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 83.4% of Alderson's 682 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 16.6% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Alderson ranks
Alderson scores 55th nationally and 44th within West Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Alderson ranks 14,231 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,842 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 243 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Alderson's elevated rating (55th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because 83.4% of Alderson's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Alderson's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Alderson's 14,231-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Alderson's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.