West Valley, NY
How exposed is West Valley to wildfire?
USFS scores West Valley at the 16th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 360 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Valley's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 16th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 96.1% of West Valley's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 3.9% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 346 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
West Valley against the rest of the country
Compare West Valley's two percentiles: 37th within New York, only 16th nationally — a gap of 22 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Valley ranks 26,510 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,064 by building count (1 is largest). Within New York alone, it ranks 807 of 1,289 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for New York on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
West Valley's low wildfire rating (16th 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 West Valley (96.1%), 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 360 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for West Valley. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond West Valley, see the exposure-zones guide.