Wataga, IL
Wataga, IL's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Wataga at the 8th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 540 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Wataga's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 8th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
540 buildings are counted in Wataga, and 67.2% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 32.8% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Wataga ranks
Compare Wataga's two percentiles: 38th within Illinois, only 8th nationally — a gap of 30 points that marks it as unusually exposed for its own state. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wataga ranks 28,927 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,717 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 894 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Wataga's low rating (8th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Wataga
Wataga's 67.2% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Wataga's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Wataga's 28,927-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Wataga's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.