Valley Head, WV
Valley Head wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Valley Head lands at the 51st percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 253 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 Valley Head at the 50th percentile, close to its 51st-percentile risk score.
Valley Head's building exposure, zone by zone
253 buildings are counted in Valley Head, and 96.8% 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.
Where Valley Head ranks
Valley Head's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (38th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (51st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Valley Head ranks 15,617 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,065 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 265 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Valley Head and the insurance market
Valley Head's elevated rating (51st percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Valley Head (96.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Valley Head's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 253 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Valley Head. The exposure-zones guide covers what Valley Head's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.