Fulton, IL
How exposed is Fulton to wildfire?
USFS scores Fulton at the 36th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 2,329 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Fulton at the 37th percentile, close to its 36th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Fulton's buildings (96.7% of 2,329) 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.
Fulton against the rest of the country
Fulton's 88th-percentile standing inside Illinois outpaces its 36th 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, Fulton ranks 20,163 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,646 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 172 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Fulton and the insurance market
At the 36th national percentile, Fulton rates moderate 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
Even with 96.7% of Fulton 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.
Where Fulton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,329 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Fulton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Fulton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.