Poca, WV
How exposed is Poca to wildfire?
Poca sits at the 65th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 503 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Poca at the 65th percentile, close to its 65th-percentile risk score.
Where Poca's buildings actually sit
85.1% of Poca's 503 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 14.1% Direct and 0.8% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Poca ranks
Poca's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (57th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (65th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Poca ranks 11,048 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,301 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 184 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
Poca's high rating (65th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
Poca's 85.1% 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.
Where Poca's figures come from
Poca's 65th-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 Poca's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.