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NORC at the University Chicago

Measuring Food Insecurity Across Chicago

At food drive, poor female wheelchair user receives free food and provisions. Multiethnic volunteers in blue t-shirt distributing fresh fruits and hot meals to less privileged. Close-up, tripod.
A current, representative picture of food insecurity in the nation’s third-largest city
  • Client
    Greater Chicago Food Depository
  • Dates
    July – September 2026 

Problem

Without a current, citywide measure of need, Chicago’s hunger relief organizations could not effectively target their efforts. 

Food insecurity is a persistent challenge in Chicago, and its impact varies across neighborhoods and population groups. Public agencies, health systems, and community organizations need current, local data to target resources, tailor outreach, and strengthen safety net programs.

NORC partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to answer three important questions: How many Chicago residents live in households that are going without adequate food? Where is need most concentrated? And are Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) and charitable food assistance programs closing the gap?

Solution

NORC reached 1,194 Chicago adults through a bilingual, probability-based survey built specifically for the city. 

We designed and fielded a citywide survey, drawing on ChicagoSpeaks®, our probability-based panel that’s representative of the Chicago household population. The survey included 1,194 Chicago adults and was conducted in English and Spanish.

Food insecurity was measured using an adapted version of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form. And to address the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s question about SNAP and charitable food assistant benefits, the analysis placed households along a Food Stability Continuum, first developed in 2024 by Second Harvest Heartland through its Make Hunger History initiative. The continuum separated those at risk and those already receiving assistance by food security status to better understand need across the city.

Result

Chicago decision-makers now have current evidence on the scale of hunger in the city.

The survey produced what the Greater Chicago Food Depository and other hunger relief agencies had been missing: a current, representative count of Chicago adults living in households experiencing food insecurity. The study found that 36 percent of Chicago adults live in households experiencing food insecurity, with higher rates among households with children and among households on the South, West, and Southwest sides. Substantial numbers reported difficulty meeting their food needs even while receiving SNAP and charitable food assistance benefits.

The findings equip food bank leaders, city agencies, health systems, and community organizations with evidence and data-driven analysis to guide resource allocation to areas with the heaviest need, target outreach efforts, and design assistance for households that are still going without. All of this supports the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s mission to end hunger and ensure every Chicagoan has reliable access to nutritious food.

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