Harpers Ferry, WV
Harpers Ferry, WV's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Harpers Ferry lands at the 55th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 276 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Harpers Ferry's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
Harpers Ferry's building exposure, zone by zone
58% of Harpers Ferry's 276 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 41.7% Direct and 0.4% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Harpers Ferry against the rest of the country
There's little gap between Harpers Ferry's 55th national percentile and its 43rd percentile inside West Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Harpers Ferry ranks 14,324 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,342 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 245 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
Harpers Ferry's elevated wildfire rating (55th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Harpers Ferry's 58% 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 Harpers Ferry's figures come from
Harpers Ferry's 55th-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 Harpers Ferry's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.