Chilhowie, VA
Chilhowie, VA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Chilhowie at the 70th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 987 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Chilhowie at the 74th national percentile — 4 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Chilhowie's buildings actually sit
66.6% of Chilhowie's 987 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 33.4% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Chilhowie ranks
There's little gap between Chilhowie's 70th national percentile and its 83rd percentile inside Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chilhowie ranks 9,375 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,030 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 114 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Chilhowie
At the 70th percentile nationally, Chilhowie carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Chilhowie's 66.6% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Chilhowie's figures come from
Chilhowie's 70th-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 Chilhowie's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.