Elkview, WV
Elkview, WV's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Elkview at the 77th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 724 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Elkview's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 78th percentile nationally.
Where Elkview's buildings actually sit
58.8% of Elkview's 724 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 41.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Elkview ranks
Elkview scores 77th nationally and 70th 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, Elkview ranks 7,328 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,411 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 129 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
Elkview's high rating (77th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Elkview (58.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Elkview's 7,328-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Elkview, see the exposure-zones guide.