Cheriton, VA
How exposed is Cheriton to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Cheriton lands at the 41st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 374 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Cheriton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 41st percentile nationally.
Where Cheriton's buildings actually sit
374 buildings are counted in Cheriton, and 60.7% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 39.3% rated Minimal.
How Cheriton compares
Cheriton scores 41st nationally and 36th within 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, Cheriton ranks 18,514 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,793 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 435 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Cheriton's elevated rating (41st 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 Direct exposure dominates in Cheriton (60.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Cheriton's 18,514-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Cheriton, see the exposure-zones guide.