Lost Nation, IL
Lost Nation wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Lost Nation at the 33rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range), a figure built from 401 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 Lost Nation at the 33rd percentile, close to its 33rd-percentile risk score.
Where Lost Nation's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Lost Nation: 79.8% of its 401 buildings, versus 19.7% Indirect and 0.5% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Lost Nation ranks
Within Illinois, Lost Nation ranks higher (84th percentile) than it does nationally (33rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lost Nation ranks 21,170 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,185 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 235 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Lost Nation and the insurance market
Lost Nation's moderate wildfire rating (33rd 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 Direct exposure dominates in Lost Nation (79.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Lost Nation's figures come from
Lost Nation's 33rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Lost Nation's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.