“NORC’s ChicagoSpeaks panel uses rigorous methods to recruit panelists representative of Chicago,” said Emily Alvarez, a senior research scientist in Public Affairs & Media Research. “It makes data collection more efficient and more affordable and produces reliable results for organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository.” 

Our methods allowed NORC to provide survey findings at the subregion level. We also provided demographic information about the groups most affected by food insecurity. We found that:

• Food insecurity was nearly twice as high among households on Chicago’s West, South, and Southwest sides compared with the Northwest Side and North Central parts of the city. On the South Side, 51 percent of households reported experiencing food insecurity, compared with 20 percent in North Central.
• Black and Hispanic households experienced higher rates of food insecurity—61 percent and 44 percent, respectively—compared with 14 percent of White households.
• Sixty-three percent of households earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which in 2026 is $66,000 for a family of four, were food insecure compared with just 18 percent of households with incomes above this threshold.
• More than half of adults who are not working due to disability, laid off, furloughed, or looking for work, and those without a college degree experienced food insecurity.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s report notes that the trends on the South, Southwest, and West sides are likely due to decades of economic divestment in predominantly Black and Hispanic communities in these areas of the city.

“By providing detailed regional and demographic data, the survey results can help the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its network of partners identify areas of greatest need and help them direct their resources to those in need,” Alvarez said. “The results may also inform policymakers overseeing safety net programs.”

NORC also classified Chicago households along a food security continuum developed in 2024 by Second Harvest Heartland as part of its Make Hunger History initiative. The framework provides a more complete picture of the food security spectrum and how households’ experiences can change over time.

Our survey data show that 11 percent of households in Chicago are not food secure and do not receive food assistance, while 25 percent are not food secure despite receiving food assistance. Another 11 percent are accessing food assistance and are food secure, while 54 percent are food secure and do not receive food assistance. Changes in circumstances can move households forward or backward along the continuum.