Spencer, WV
How exposed is Spencer to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Spencer lands at the 52nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 1,054 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Spencer's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 53rd percentile nationally.
Where Spencer's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Spencer (78.2% of 1,054 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 21.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Spencer against the rest of the country
Spencer scores 52nd nationally and 39th within West 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, Spencer ranks 15,146 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,576 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 261 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Spencer and the insurance market
Spencer's elevated wildfire rating (52nd 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 78.2% of Spencer's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Spencer's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Spencer's 15,146-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Spencer's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.