Madison, VA
Madison, VA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Madison lands at the 48th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 171 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Madison's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 48th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
171 buildings are counted in Madison, and 59.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 40.4% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Madison compares
There's little gap between Madison's 48th national percentile and its 48th percentile inside Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Madison ranks 16,531 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,005 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 352 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Madison
Madison's elevated wildfire rating (48th 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
Madison's 59.7% 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.
More on how this number was built
Madison's 48th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Madison, see the exposure-zones guide.