Sophia, WV
Sophia, WV's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Sophia's 703 buildings earn a 75th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Sophia at the 78th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Sophia's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 87.3% of Sophia's 703 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 12.7% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Sophia ranks
There's little gap between Sophia's 75th national percentile and its 69th percentile inside West Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sophia ranks 7,770 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,628 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 135 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sophia
At the 75th percentile nationally, Sophia carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Sophia
Sophia's 87.3% 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 Sophia's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 703 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sophia. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sophia's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.