Food Insecurity &
Redlining

In many of the communities CAP serves in NY, the legacy of redlining still defines the landscape. Formerly redlined neighborhoods are far more likely to be food deserts today, lacking grocery stores, fresh produce, and reliable transportation.

Distribution of Historic Redlining Scores
Across NYC Neighborhoods

This histogram shows how NYC neighborhoods were distributed across historic redlining scores. The largest group, nearly 800 neighborhoods, falls at score 3, which corresponds to “declining” areas (yellow grade on redlining maps). Another 600 neighborhoods fall at score 4, which represents the most heavily redlined or “high-risk” zones (red grade).

In contrast, neighborhoods with a score of 2 (stable, blue-grade areas) number around 200, and those with a score of 1 (best-rated, green-grade areas) are extremely rare, only around 20–30 neighborhoods across the entire city.

The data shows that most NYC neighborhoods were historically labeled as declining or high-risk under redlining, while very few received the highest investment grades, highlighting how widespread disinvestment shaped the city.

Average Percentage of Black Population
by Redlining Category

This line graph shows the relationship between historic redlining categories and the average percentage of Black residents in 2010 across neighborhoods. The data represents a clear upward trend: neighborhoods with worse historical redlining scores (moving from grade 1 to 4) tend to have significantly higher percentages of Black residents today. For example, areas graded as “best” (1) have an average Black population of around 7–10%, while those in the most heavily redlined category (4) have over 30%. This pattern highlights the racial segregation and concentrated disinvestment shaped by redlining policies.

Food Security Index by Redlining Classification

This chart illustrates how historical redlining classifications are linked to today’s food security outcomes. Each bar shows the mean food security index (where higher values reflect worse food security) across neighborhoods, categorized from 1 (best-rated) to 4 (worst-rated, or redlined).

The results are stark:

(Grade 1) have a mean food security index of about 0.12.
(Grade 2) have a mean food security index of about 0.15.
(Grade 3) have a mean food security index of about 0.18.
Historically redlined neighborhoods (Grade 4) face the highest food insecurity, with a mean of about 0.22.

These numbers show that the same communities denied resources in the past are still facing hardship now. At CAP, we support students from Black and Latinx neighborhoods in New York City who deal with these challenges every day.

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Redlining & Child Food Insecurity Across NYC

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This map shows how the legacy of redlining still shapes access to resources across New York City. While not all historically redlined neighborhoods face the highest levels of child food insecurity today, they make up a significant portion of the city’s landscape, especially in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. The data highlights the impact of redlining. Many areas have seen improvement, while others struggle with deep, overlapping inequalities. Overall, the map makes clear that understanding the past is critical to addressing present-day challenges.

Data Information

Redlining Data

The redlining dataset overlays HOLC maps with 2010 and 2020 census tracts from 142 U.S. cities. Researchers assigned numerical values to HOLC grades (A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4) and calculated a weighted redlining score for each census tract based on the proportion of each grade within the tract. A higher score reflects a greater degree of historical redlining.

Food Insecurity Data

Data from the Economic Research Service was used for food insecurity. This data set breaks down information by census tract on food access conditions in different states. It includes information such as how far people live from grocery stores, whether they have low incomes, and whether they have access to a vehicle. Some of the variables in the dataset combine these factors to show areas where low-income people also have limited food access. The dataset helps identify places where food insecurity is likely a problem.

Opportunity Atlas Data

The Opportunity Atlas is a resource developed by the U.S. Census Bureau and Opportunity Insights that provides neighborhood-level data on economic mobility. It shows how income, education, race, and location shape children’s life outcomes across the United States.

Note:
This project uses data from three sources:

Historic Redlining Scores for 2010 and 2020 US Census Tracts by Helen C.S. Meier and Bruce C. Mitchell (2021), distributed by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Access Research Atlas, which provides national data on food access and food insecurity.
The Opportunity Atlas is a collaboration between researchers at the U.S. Census Bureau and Opportunity Insights at Harvard University.

The data has been processed and analyzed as part of this project. Viewers should consult the original investigators or agencies for further information on the data.

Food Insecurity & Redlining

Distribution of Historic Redlining Scores Across NYC Neighborhoods