West Jefferson, AL
How exposed is West Jefferson to wildfire?
West Jefferson's 331 buildings earn a 76th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Jefferson's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 80th percentile nationally.
Where West Jefferson's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in West Jefferson: 99.1% of its 331 buildings, versus 0.9% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where West Jefferson ranks
There's little gap between West Jefferson's 76th national percentile and its 64th percentile inside Alabama, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Jefferson ranks 7,457 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,783 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 213 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 76th percentile nationally, West Jefferson 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in West Jefferson (99.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
West Jefferson's 76th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond West Jefferson, see the exposure-zones guide.