Topeka, IL
Topeka, IL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Topeka's 90 buildings earn a 6th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Topeka at the 5th percentile, close to its 6th-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
91.1% of Topeka's 90 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 8.9% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
How Topeka compares
Topeka's 31st-percentile standing inside Illinois outpaces its 6th 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, Topeka ranks 29,713 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,487 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 1,002 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Topeka
At the 6th national percentile, Topeka rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Topeka
Even with 91.1% of Topeka 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 Topeka's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Topeka's 29,713-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Topeka's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.