Falling Waters, WV
Falling Waters wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Falling Waters lands at the 36th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 503 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Falling Waters at the 37th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Falling Waters's building exposure, zone by zone
65.2% of Falling Waters's 503 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 328 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 34% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0.8% are Minimal.
How Falling Waters compares
Falling Waters's 36th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 6th ranking inside West Virginia does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 30 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Falling Waters ranks 20,188 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,300 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 402 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
At the 36th national percentile, Falling Waters rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Falling Waters
Because Direct exposure dominates in Falling Waters (65.2%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Falling Waters's figures come from
Falling Waters's 36th-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 Falling Waters's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.