Norton, WV
Norton wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Norton lands at the 35th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 254 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Norton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
Norton's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS classifies 94.5% of Norton's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 5.5% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 240 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Norton against the rest of the country
Norton ranks lower within West Virginia (5th percentile statewide) than its 35th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Norton ranks 20,472 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,033 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 409 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Norton and the insurance market
Norton's moderate wildfire rating (35th 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
Norton's 94.5% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Norton's figures come from
Norton's 35th-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 Norton's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.