Institute, WV
Institute, WV's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Institute at the 68th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 274 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Institute at the 69th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Institute (96.7% of 274 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 3.3% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Institute ranks
There's little gap between Institute's 68th national percentile and its 61st 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, Institute ranks 10,040 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,413 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 166 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
Institute's high rating (68th 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.
Hardening a home in Institute
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Institute (96.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Institute's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 274 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Institute. The exposure-zones guide covers what Institute's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.