Philippi, WV
How exposed is Philippi to wildfire?
USFS scores Philippi at the 44th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 1,278 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Philippi at the 45th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Philippi's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Philippi's buildings (64.9%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Philippi against the rest of the country
Philippi ranks lower within West Virginia (25th percentile statewide) than its 44th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Philippi ranks 17,825 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,211 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 324 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
Philippi's elevated wildfire rating (44th 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
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Philippi (64.9% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Philippi's figures come from
Philippi's 44th-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 Philippi's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.