Cape Charles, VA
How exposed is Cape Charles to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Cape Charles at the 40th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,019 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cape Charles's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 39th percentile nationally.
Where Cape Charles's buildings actually sit
86.4% of Cape Charles's 1,019 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 13.6% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Cape Charles against the rest of the country
Cape Charles's risk sits at a similar level relative to Virginia (33rd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (40th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Cape Charles ranks 18,862 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,810 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 456 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Cape Charles
Cape Charles'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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 86.4% of Cape Charles outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Cape Charles's figures come from
Cape Charles's 40th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Cape Charles's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.