Rio, VA
Rio, VA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Rio lands at the 36th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a figure built from its 247 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Rio's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 35th percentile nationally.
Rio's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 99.2% of Rio's 247 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 0.8% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Rio ranks
Rio's risk sits at a similar level relative to Virginia (26th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (36th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Rio ranks 20,092 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,254 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 503 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
Rio's moderate wildfire rating (36th 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 Rio
Rio's 99.2% 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 Rio's figures come from
Rio's 36th-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 Rio's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.