Burton, IL
Burton wildfire risk explained
Burton sits at the 32nd 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 93 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Burton at the 32nd national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
66.7% of Burton's 93 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 33.3% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Burton ranks
Compare Burton's two percentiles: 83rd within Illinois, only 32nd nationally — a gap of 51 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Burton ranks 21,325 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,347 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 248 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Burton and the insurance market
Burton's moderate wildfire rating (32nd 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 66.7% of Burton's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Burton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 93 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Burton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Burton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.