Pantops, VA
How exposed is Pantops to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Pantops at the 46th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 716 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Pantops's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
Where Pantops's buildings actually sit
716 buildings are counted in Pantops, and 71.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 28.9% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Pantops compares
Pantops scores 46th nationally and 45th 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, Pantops ranks 17,130 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,509 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 374 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Pantops's elevated wildfire rating (46th 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.
Hardening a home in Pantops
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Pantops (71.1% 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 716 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Pantops. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Pantops, see the exposure-zones guide.