Sussex, VA
How exposed is Sussex to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Sussex lands at the 51st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 175 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Sussex at the 51st percentile, close to its 51st-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
175 buildings are counted in Sussex, and 75.4% 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.
Sussex against the rest of the country
Sussex scores 51st nationally and 55th within 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, Sussex ranks 15,334 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,842 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 304 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
Sussex's elevated wildfire rating (51st 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Sussex (75.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Sussex's figures come from
Sussex's 51st-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 Sussex's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.