The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a measure of dietary quality that was developed to capture the multi-dimensional aspects of eating patterns and to track diet quality over time. We computed HEI scores based on responses to food frequency questionnaires among 4,932 participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), an ongoing population-based study of adults aged 65 years and older (61% black; 39% white). The average HEI score for the CHAP population was 70.7, below the range of 80-100 defined as a ''good'' diet by the USDA. Scores varied significantly by race and gender. White women had the highest HEI scores (mean, 73.5;n = 1198) followed by black women (mean, 71.5; n = 1797) and white men (mean, 70.5;n = 744). Black men had the lowest scores (mean, 66.8; n = 1193). Many older urban adults, and in particular, older black men, may have diets that are inadequate according to USDA dietary recommendations.