Benton, IL
How exposed is Benton to wildfire?
Benton sits at the 27th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,257 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Benton's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 28th percentile nationally.
Benton's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Benton's buildings (69.1% of 4,257) fall outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones entirely — that doesn't zero out the score above, it means the risk is regional, not structure-by-structure.
Benton against the rest of the country
Within Illinois, Benton ranks higher (75th percentile) than it does nationally (27th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Benton ranks 23,031 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,011 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 357 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Benton
Benton's moderate rating (27th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Benton
Even with 69.1% of Benton outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 4,257 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Benton. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Benton, see the exposure-zones guide.