Paxton, IL
Paxton wildfire risk explained
Paxton sits at the 2nd 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 2,832 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Paxton at the 2nd percentile, close to its 2nd-percentile risk score.
Paxton's building exposure, zone by zone
Most of Paxton's buildings (96% of 2,832) 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 Paxton compares
Paxton's risk sits at a similar level relative to Illinois (14th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (2nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Paxton ranks 30,978 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,694 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 1,253 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Paxton and the insurance market
Paxton's low wildfire rating (2nd 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
With 96% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Paxton gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Paxton's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 2,832 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Paxton. The exposure-zones guide covers what Paxton's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.