Out of 125 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 125 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 16/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 199 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah | Virginia | 31/100 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 | Wise | Virginia | 30/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Lee | Virginia | 30/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Rockingham | Virginia | 29/100 | 8 | 19 |
| 5 | Page | Virginia | 29/100 | 7 | 3 |
| 6 | Augusta | Virginia | 28/100 | 8 | 16 |
| 7 | Staunton | Virginia | 27/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Waynesboro | Virginia | 26/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Rockbridge | Virginia | 25/100 | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | Madison | Virginia | 25/100 | 4 | 17 |
| 11 | Highland | Virginia | 25/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Alleghany | Virginia | 24/100 | 6 | 6 |
| 13 | Bath | Virginia | 24/100 | 5 | 4 |
| 14 | Greene | Virginia | 24/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Buena Vista | Virginia | 24/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Warren | Virginia | 23/100 | 7 | 12 |
| 17 | Botetourt | Virginia | 23/100 | 4 | 9 |
| 18 | Covington | Virginia | 23/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Pulaski | Virginia | 22/100 | 5 | 6 |
| 20 | Albemarle | Virginia | 22/100 | 3 | 20 |
| 21 | Bedford | Virginia | 22/100 | 3 | 8 |
| 22 | Nelson | Virginia | 22/100 | 2 | 11 |
| 23 | Montgomery | Virginia | 22/100 | 2 | 14 |
| 24 | Rappahannock | Virginia | 22/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 25 | Giles | Virginia | 22/100 | 1 | 10 |
| 26 | Radford | Virginia | 22/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 27 | Salem | Virginia | 22/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 | Norton | Virginia | 22/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Lexington | Virginia | 22/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Bland | Virginia | 21/100 | 4 | 3 |
| 31 | Harrisonburg | Virginia | 21/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | Frederick | Virginia | 20/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 33 | Amherst | Virginia | 20/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 34 | Dickenson | Virginia | 20/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 35 | Accomack | Virginia | 20/100 | 0 | 37 |
| 36 | Craig | Virginia | 19/100 | 5 | 3 |
| 37 | Clarke | Virginia | 19/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 38 | Orange | Virginia | 19/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Scott | Virginia | 19/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 40 | Wythe | Virginia | 18/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 41 | Roanoke | Virginia | 18/100 | 2 | 43 |
| 42 | Buchanan | Virginia | 18/100 | 2 | 9 |
| 43 | Charlottesville | Virginia | 18/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 44 | Lynchburg | Virginia | 18/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 45 | Tazewell | Virginia | 17/100 | 1 | 23 |
| 46 | Culpeper | Virginia | 16/100 | 9 | 26 |
| 47 | Carroll | Virginia | 16/100 | 4 | 12 |
| 48 | Franklin | Virginia | 16/100 | 3 | 13 |
| 49 | Floyd | Virginia | 16/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 50 | Russell | Virginia | 16/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 51 | Fauquier | Virginia | 16/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 52 | Winchester | Virginia | 16/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 53 | Grayson | Virginia | 15/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 54 | Louisa | Virginia | 14/100 | 9 | 11 |
| 55 | Westmoreland | Virginia | 14/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 56 | Buckingham | Virginia | 14/100 | 2 | 7 |
| 57 | Northumberland | Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 58 | Fluvanna | Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 59 | Campbell | Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 60 | Lancaster | Virginia | 13/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 61 | Loudoun | Virginia | 12/100 | 9 | 33 |
| 62 | Middlesex | Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 18 |
| 63 | Pittsylvania | Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 14 |
| 64 | Henry | Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 65 | Patrick | Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 66 | Smyth | Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 67 | Essex | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 68 | Northampton | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 69 | Emporia | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 70 | Appomattox | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 71 | Bristol | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 72 | Washington | Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 73 | Prince William | Virginia | 11/100 | 9 | 19 |
| 74 | Spotsylvania | Virginia | 11/100 | 4 | 3 |
| 75 | Manassas | Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 76 | Cumberland | Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 77 | Kanawha | Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 78 | Fairfax | Virginia | 10/100 | 7 | 63 |
| 79 | Caroline | Virginia | 10/100 | 4 | 23 |
| 80 | Suffolk | Virginia | 10/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 81 | Arlington | Virginia | 10/100 | 1 | 30 |
| 82 | Manassas Park | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 83 | Alexandria | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 84 | Fredericksburg | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 85 | Stafford | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 86 | King George | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 87 | Prince Edward | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 88 | Martinsville | Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 89 | Sussex | Virginia | 9/100 | 3 | 14 |
| 90 | Isle of Wight | Virginia | 9/100 | 3 | 21 |
| 91 | Southampton | Virginia | 9/100 | 1 | 15 |
| 92 | Charlotte | Virginia | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 93 | Halifax | Virginia | 9/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 94 | Virginia Beach | Virginia | 8/100 | 1 | 21 |
| 95 | Goochland | Virginia | 8/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 96 | Newport News | Virginia | 8/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 97 | King and Queen | Virginia | 7/100 | 4 | 9 |
| 98 | Greensville | Virginia | 7/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 99 | Gloucester | Virginia | 7/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 100 | Mathews | Virginia | 7/100 | 0 | 16 |
Methodology
County rankings for Virginia based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.