Wilmette's Seismic Design Category, explained

Wilmette carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Wilmette sits at the 33th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Wilmette by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Wilmette: 0.055g peak ground acceleration, 0.11g at short period, 0.06g at 1 second. Within Illinois alone, Wilmette ranks 277 of 330 cities by seismic hazard - the 16th percentile in-state. Wilmette has a population of about 27,443.

Retrofit economics for Wilmette

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Illinois specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Illinois.

What this means for insurance

A Wilmette homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Wilmette's figures come from

Wilmette's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Wilmette.