Gardner, IL
Gardner, IL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Gardner sits at the 13th 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 897 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gardner's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 13th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Gardner's buildings (91% of 897) 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.
How Gardner compares
Gardner's 50th-percentile standing inside Illinois outpaces its 13th 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, Gardner ranks 27,316 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,744 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 728 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Gardner and the insurance market
Gardner's low rating (13th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 91% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Gardner gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Gardner's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 897 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Gardner. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gardner's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.