Did you know that one out of ten Americans claims Irish ancestry? 

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into a celebration for all things Irish. The world's first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

More than 31.5 million people in the United States claim Irish ancestry, making it the second most common ethnic background in the country behind German (43.0 million). And when it comes to the presidents of the United States, including the current Vice President Joe Biden, exactly half (23) of them can trace at least some of their ancestry back to Ireland. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Irish states are located in New England and are connected geographically.

On the other hand, the five most populated states in the United States—California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas—are also the states with the highest number of smiling Irish eyes. However, none of these states has the highest percentage of people who can trace their roots back to Ireland. Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States, ranks last among the top 10 counties in terms of the percentage of its people that can trace its roots to Ireland (3.6 percent ).

Sports Celebration of Irish Heritage

100,003
The population of South Bend, Ind., is home to the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame. About 10.4 percent of South Bend's population claims Irish ancestry.

The percentage of the Boston metropolitan area population that claims Irish ancestry, is one of the highest percentages for the top 50 metro areas by population. Boston is home of the Celtics of the National Basketball Association.

78,390 and 16,167

The population of New Rochelle, N.Y., and Moraga, Calif., are home to the Gaels of Iona University and St. Mary's College of California, respectively. During college basketball's March Madness, you will typically see these universities compete on the court, no doubt rooted in some of the 8.4 percent of the New Rochelle population and 15.5 percent of the Moraga population that claim Irish ancestry.

Irish Ancestry Population Distribution -34.1 million

The number of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2012. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only Germans.

22.6%

Percentage of the population in Massachusetts that claims Irish ancestry, is among the highest in the nation. New York has 2.5 million people claiming Irish ancestry, which is among the most of any state.

153,248

A number of people with Irish ancestry were naturalized citizens in 2012.

39.2 years old

The median age of those who claim Irish ancestry, which is higher than U.S. residents as a whole at 37.4 years.

Irish-Americans Today
34.2%

Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who had a bachelor's degree or higher. In addition, 93.4 percent of Irish-Americans in this age group had at least a high school diploma. For the nation as a whole, the corresponding rates were 29.1 percent and 86.4 percent, respectively.

$59,220

The median income for households headed by an Irish-American is higher than the $51,371 for all households. In addition, 7.4 percent of family households of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the rate of 11.8 percent for all Americans.

41.1%

Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older who worked in management, professional, and related occupations. Additionally, 25.9 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 15.9 percent in service occupations; 9.3 percent in production, transportation, and material moving occupations; and 7.7 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.

68.9%

Percentage of householders of Irish ancestry who owned the home in which they live, with the remainder renting. For the nation as a whole, the homeownership rate was 63.9 percent.

Places to Spend the Day
16

A number of places in the United States share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. The most recent population for Dublin, Calif., was 47,156.

If you're still not into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day, then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,669 residents.

Other appropriate places in which to spend the day: the township of Irishtown, Ill., several places or townships named Clover (in South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin), or one of the seven places that are named Shamrock.

The Celebration
25.9 billion

U.S. beef production in pounds in 2012. Corned beef is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish.

$21.5 million

Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2012 for operations with $100,000 or more sales. Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

The following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features series:
African-American History Month (February)
Super Bowl
Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)
Women's History Month (March)
Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/
St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
Earth Day (April 22)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
Older Americans Month (May)
Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
Mother's Day
Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)
Father's Day The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)
Back to School (August)
Labor Day
Grandparents Day
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
Unmarried and Single Americans Week
Halloween (Oct. 31)
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Thanksgiving Day
The Holiday Season (December)

 

 

 

Editor's note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: <PI[email protected]>.