Dowell, IL
Dowell wildfire risk explained
Dowell sits at the 10th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 302 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Dowell at the 10th national percentile — 0 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Dowell's buildings actually sit
Only 9.3% of Dowell's 302 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 90.7% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Where Dowell ranks
Dowell's 43rd-percentile standing inside Illinois outpaces its 10th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Dowell ranks 28,387 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,566 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 824 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Dowell
At the 10th national percentile, Dowell rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Dowell
Even with 90.7% of Dowell 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 302 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Dowell. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Dowell, see the exposure-zones guide.