Out of 96 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 96 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 10/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 162 |
Top 96 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williamson | Illinois | 24/100 | 35 | 10 |
| 2 | Saline | Illinois | 23/100 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | Hardin | Illinois | 22/100 | 19 | 5 |
| 4 | Union | Illinois | 22/100 | 18 | 7 |
| 5 | Gallatin | Illinois | 22/100 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Jackson | Illinois | 21/100 | 18 | 17 |
| 7 | Franklin | Illinois | 20/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 8 | Pope | Illinois | 19/100 | 19 | 2 |
| 9 | Johnson | Illinois | 19/100 | 8 | 11 |
| 10 | Effingham | Illinois | 19/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 11 | Pulaski | Illinois | 17/100 | 18 | 9 |
| 12 | Shelby | Illinois | 17/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 13 | Perry | Illinois | 17/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Massac | Illinois | 16/100 | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Cumberland | Illinois | 16/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 16 | Hamilton | Illinois | 16/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 17 | White | Illinois | 15/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 18 | Alexander | Illinois | 14/100 | 9 | 8 |
| 19 | Cook | Illinois | 14/100 | 1 | 219 |
| 20 | Fayette | Illinois | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 21 | Randolph | Illinois | 14/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 22 | Jefferson | Illinois | 14/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 23 | Moultrie | Illinois | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 24 | Coles | Illinois | 13/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 25 | Washington | Illinois | 13/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 26 | Will | Illinois | 12/100 | 1 | 27 |
| 27 | Kankakee | Illinois | 12/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 28 | Clay | Illinois | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 29 | Jasper | Illinois | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 30 | Wayne | Illinois | 12/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 31 | DuPage | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 51 |
| 32 | Macon | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 33 | Christian | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 34 | Monroe | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 35 | Richland | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 36 | Marion | Illinois | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 37 | Douglas | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 38 | Montgomery | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 39 | Bond | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 40 | Crawford | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 41 | Clark | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 42 | Edwards | Illinois | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 43 | Lake | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 32 |
| 44 | Kane | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 32 |
| 45 | Grundy | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 46 | Piatt | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 47 | Edgar | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 48 | Clinton | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 49 | Wabash | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 50 | Lawrence | Illinois | 9/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 51 | Boone | Illinois | 8/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 52 | St. Clair | Illinois | 8/100 | 0 | 30 |
| 53 | Jo Daviess | Illinois | 7/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 54 | Kendall | Illinois | 7/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 55 | Iroquois | Illinois | 7/100 | 0 | 23 |
| 56 | Winnebago | Illinois | 7/100 | 0 | 28 |
| 57 | McHenry | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 21 |
| 58 | Ogle | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 59 | Jersey | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 60 | LaSalle | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 24 |
| 61 | Vermilion | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 23 |
| 62 | Champaign | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 34 |
| 63 | Stephenson | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 64 | Madison | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 30 |
| 65 | Macoupin | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 21 |
| 66 | Sangamon | Illinois | 6/100 | 0 | 56 |
| 67 | DeKalb | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 68 | Livingston | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 19 |
| 69 | Lee | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 70 | Ford | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 71 | Woodford | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 72 | Mason | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 73 | Tazewell | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 74 | McLean | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 30 |
| 75 | De Witt | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 76 | Logan | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 77 | Calhoun | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 78 | Greene | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 79 | Pike | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 80 | Brown | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 81 | Morgan | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 82 | Cass | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 83 | Menard | Illinois | 5/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 84 | Scott | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 85 | Mercer | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 86 | Bureau | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 24 |
| 87 | Putnam | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 88 | Marshall | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 89 | Peoria | Illinois | 4/100 | 0 | 40 |
| 90 | Fulton | Illinois | 3/100 | 0 | 19 |
| 91 | Schuyler | Illinois | 3/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 92 | Carroll | Illinois | 1/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 93 | Whiteside | Illinois | 1/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 94 | Rock Island | Illinois | 1/100 | 0 | 21 |
| 95 | Knox | Illinois | 1/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 96 | Adams | Illinois | 1/100 | 0 | 19 |
Methodology
County rankings for Illinois based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.