Metcalf, IL
How exposed is Metcalf to wildfire?
USFS scores Metcalf at the 0th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 177 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 Metcalf at the 0th percentile, close to its 0th-percentile risk score.
Metcalf's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Metcalf's buildings (74% of 177) 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.
Where Metcalf ranks
Metcalf scores 0th nationally and 2nd within Illinois — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Metcalf ranks 31,483 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,743 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 1,426 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Metcalf and the insurance market
Metcalf's low rating (0th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 74% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Metcalf gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Metcalf's figures come from
Metcalf's 0th-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 Metcalf's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.