Background: Healthy eating is vital to health and well-being and during the COVID-19 pandemic it is especially important for boosting immunity and protecting against viral infections. Yet, by many accounts, a nutritious diet has been a casualty of the pandemic, rather than a means to fight it, especially among the most socioeconomically vulnerable. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design to examine income-based dietary disparities targeting young adults (ages 18-28) during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Young adults have experienced some of the biggest pandemic-related disruptions during a formative stage of development while no known scholarly attention has addressed dietary changes in this demographic. Participants (N=254) responded to a 15-20-minute online survey and questions related to food composition and sources of food, perceptions of healthy eating, weight change, physical activity, and food insecurity. Comparisons were made between those who lived in households that earned above versus below the U.S. median income. Results: Lower income young adults were disproportionately represented in unhealthy consumption changes during the lockdown period such as increased intake of junk food (+3%) and a decrease in grains (-2%). Upper income participants were overly represented in healthy changes in diet such as a decrease in eating at fast food restaurants (-4%) and an increased reliance on home cooked food from scratch (+6%). Lower income participants also perceived their eating habits during the lockdown as less healthy (M=21.0, SD=4.99) than their upper income counterparts (M=23.53, SD=5.66). Weight gain during lockdown was reported by half (50%) of lower income and less than a third (29%) of upper income participants. Financial circumstances negatively impacted the diets of significantly more lower income (39%) than upper income (18%) respondents. Food insecurity during lockdown was a regular occurrence for 6-8% of lower income versus 2-5% of upper income young adults in this study. Conclusions: It is recommended that pandemic minded public health interventions account for negative dietary trends with particular attention to low-income young adults.