Crab Orchard, IL
Crab Orchard wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Crab Orchard at the 47th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 316 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Crab Orchard at the 49th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Crab Orchard's buildings actually sit
316 buildings are counted in Crab Orchard, and 91.5% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Crab Orchard ranks
Compare Crab Orchard's two percentiles: 97th within Illinois, only 47th nationally — a gap of 51 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Crab Orchard ranks 16,853 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,203 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 42 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Crab Orchard
At the 47th national percentile, Crab Orchard rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Crab Orchard (91.5%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Crab Orchard's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 316 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Crab Orchard. The exposure-zones guide covers what Crab Orchard's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.