Background: We initiated the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS) in 2013. Here, we present screening rates for key cancers with known disparities in risk/and or outcomes in Chicago, considering the effect health care access and race/ethnicity, and we compare the findings in COMPASS to rates reported by the CDC. Methods: COMPASS participant responses to a health interview were analyzed. The analysis of colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) was limited to persons 50-75, mammography screening (MS) was restricted to women ages 50-74, and cervical screening (CS) by pap smear testing was restricted to women ages 21-65. Frequency statistics and linear regression models were run to evaluate associations. Results: A total of 2,967 COMPASS participants were included in the analysis from 18 communities. We found ever CRCS rates in Chicago are lower than the national average (52.3% vs. 58.6%; p < .01) and that CRCS is lower in blacks (50.3%) and Hispanics (52.1%) compared to whites (65.8%), and that those with health insurance (HI) report a CRCS rate of 56.8% compared to 25.5% without insurance. Mammography within the last 2 years was 70.8% in COMPASS women compared to 72.4% nationally, with black women reporting higher rates of MS in the past 2 years (73.0%) compared to white women (65.4%) and Hispanic women (62.9%); and higher MS among women with HI (74.2%) compared to women without HI (47.2%). Pap screening within the last 5 years was 84.3% in COMPASS women compared to 83.0% nationally (last 3 years), with both black (85.3%) and Hispanic (83.2%) women reporting non-significantly higher CS compared to white women (80.9%) in COMPASS, and significantly higher CS among women with HI (86.2%) compared to women without HI (77.7%). Conclusions: Our results reinforce the fact that differences in cancer screening reflect the larger problem of access to care. We further found racial disparities in CRC screening in COMPASS to be consistent with disparities in incidence. However, our results do not support the notion that the disproportionate burden of breast and cervical cancer in black and Hispanic women in Chicago are primarily due to a lack of screening.