Reader, WV
How exposed is Reader to wildfire?
USFS scores Reader at the 46th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 326 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Reader's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 46th percentile nationally.
Reader's building exposure, zone by zone
326 buildings are counted in Reader, and 69.6% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Reader against the rest of the country
Reader's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (31st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (46th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Reader ranks 16,974 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,942 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 295 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
Reader's elevated rating (46th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Reader (69.6%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Reader's figures come from
Reader's 46th-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 Reader's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.