South Charleston, WV
South Charleston wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, South Charleston lands at the 73rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 7,336 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, South Charleston's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 75th percentile nationally.
Where South Charleston's buildings actually sit
7,336 buildings are counted in South Charleston, and 61.8% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 17.7% in Direct exposure or the 20.5% rated Minimal. At 7,336 buildings, this is a substantial built environment, so the shares below describe a real population of structures, not a handful of edge cases.
South Charleston against the rest of the country
South Charleston's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (67th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (73rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Charleston ranks 8,684 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 2,325 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 144 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
At the 73rd percentile nationally, South Charleston 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 South Charleston
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in South Charleston (61.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
South Charleston's 73rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond South Charleston, see the exposure-zones guide.