Powhatan, VA
How exposed is Powhatan to wildfire?
Powhatan's 457 buildings earn a 37th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Powhatan at the 38th percentile, close to its 37th-percentile risk score.
Where Powhatan's buildings actually sit
60.8% of Powhatan's 457 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 278 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 39.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Powhatan compares
Powhatan scores 37th nationally and 27th 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, Powhatan ranks 19,870 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,142 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 495 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Powhatan and the insurance market
At the 37th national percentile, Powhatan rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Powhatan (60.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Powhatan's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Powhatan's 19,870-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Powhatan's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.