Out of 54 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 54 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 16/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 77 |
Top 54 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabell | West Virginia | 30/100 | 0 | 40 |
| 2 | Raleigh | West Virginia | 29/100 | 3 | 50 |
| 3 | Fayette | West Virginia | 27/100 | 12 | 51 |
| 4 | Greenbrier | West Virginia | 27/100 | 10 | 19 |
| 5 | Hardy | West Virginia | 27/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 6 | Lincoln | West Virginia | 27/100 | 1 | 20 |
| 7 | Logan | West Virginia | 26/100 | 1 | 46 |
| 8 | Summers | West Virginia | 26/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Mercer | West Virginia | 25/100 | 3 | 21 |
| 10 | Monroe | West Virginia | 25/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 11 | Wayne | West Virginia | 25/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 | Pendleton | West Virginia | 24/100 | 6 | 8 |
| 13 | Hampshire | West Virginia | 24/100 | 4 | 16 |
| 14 | Pocahontas | West Virginia | 23/100 | 5 | 11 |
| 15 | Kanawha | West Virginia | 23/100 | 0 | 52 |
| 16 | Nicholas | West Virginia | 22/100 | 12 | 19 |
| 17 | Berkeley | West Virginia | 21/100 | 3 | 42 |
| 18 | Wyoming | West Virginia | 21/100 | 0 | 30 |
| 19 | McDowell | West Virginia | 20/100 | 0 | 36 |
| 20 | Mingo | West Virginia | 20/100 | 0 | 31 |
| 21 | Putnam | West Virginia | 20/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 22 | Grant | West Virginia | 20/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 23 | Mason | West Virginia | 19/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 24 | Randolph | West Virginia | 18/100 | 6 | 20 |
| 25 | Webster | West Virginia | 18/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 26 | Clay | West Virginia | 17/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 27 | Mineral | West Virginia | 16/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 28 | Roane | West Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 29 | Morgan | West Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Upshur | West Virginia | 14/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 31 | Jefferson | West Virginia | 13/100 | 3 | 11 |
| 32 | Braxton | West Virginia | 13/100 | 1 | 17 |
| 33 | Jackson | West Virginia | 13/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 34 | Tucker | West Virginia | 12/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 35 | Barbour | West Virginia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 36 | Gilmer | West Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 37 | Lewis | West Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Taylor | West Virginia | 11/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 39 | Wood | West Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 40 | Wirt | West Virginia | 10/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 41 | Calhoun | West Virginia | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 42 | Harrison | West Virginia | 9/100 | 0 | 23 |
| 43 | Preston | West Virginia | 8/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 44 | Ritchie | West Virginia | 7/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 45 | Doddridge | West Virginia | 6/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 46 | Marion | West Virginia | 6/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 47 | Ohio | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 48 | Brooke | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 49 | Marshall | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 50 | Hancock | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 51 | Wetzel | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 52 | Pleasants | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 53 | Tyler | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 54 | Monongalia | West Virginia | 5/100 | 0 | 15 |
Methodology
County rankings for West 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.