Merrimac, VA
How exposed is Merrimac to wildfire?
USFS scores Merrimac at the 59th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 890 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Merrimac at the 59th percentile, close to its 59th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
62.5% of Merrimac's 890 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 37.5% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Merrimac against the rest of the country
Merrimac scores 59th nationally and 65th within 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, Merrimac ranks 13,034 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,819 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 238 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Merrimac and the insurance market
At the 59th national percentile, Merrimac rates elevated 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 Merrimac
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Merrimac (62.5% 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 890 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Merrimac. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Merrimac, see the exposure-zones guide.