Vinton, VA
Vinton, VA's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Vinton sits at the 55th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 3,215 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Vinton at the 54th national percentile — 1 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Vinton's buildings actually sit
USFS puts 91.9% of Vinton's 3,215 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 8.1% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Vinton ranks
There's little gap between Vinton's 55th national percentile and its 60th percentile inside Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Vinton ranks 14,353 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,150 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 274 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
At the 55th national percentile, Vinton rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Vinton (91.9% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Vinton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,215 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Vinton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Vinton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.