U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick's Day (March 17): 2017

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

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 of 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.

Population

32.7 million or 10.2%
The number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2015. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation's second-most frequently reported European ancestry, trailing German.
Sources: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B04006 and 2015 Population and Migration Estimates (Ireland Central Statistics Office) http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B04006 
www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2015/    

20.2%
The percentage of Massachusetts residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2015. New Hampshire, at 20.6 percent, was the only other state in which at least 20.0 percent claimed Irish ancestry. (The rates for the two states were not statistically different from each other.) California had 2.5 million people who claimed Irish ancestry, which was the highest of any state. Two other states — New York and Pennsylvania — also had more than 2.0 million Irish-Americans.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B04006
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B04006/0400000US06|0400000US25|0400000US33|0400000US36|0400000US42

40.2%
The percentage of the population of Braintree, Mass., who claimed Irish ancestry in 2015. Braintree is just one example of the many communities near Boston with a large percentage of the population claiming Irish ancestry. Scituate and Marshfield Hills are two others.
Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey, Table DP02
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP02/1600000US2507740|1600000US2538960|1600000US2560295

201,530
The number of Irish-Americans living in Chicago in 2015, the location of one of the nation's most renowned St. Patrick's Day traditions: dyeing the Chicago River green. Chicago's Irish-American population was second among cities only to New York (357,147), home to the world's oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parade. Philadelphia was third at 176,725.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B04006
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B04006/1600000US1714000|1600000US3651000|1600000US4260000

Irish-Americans Today

36.2%
The percentage of people of Irish ancestry, age 25 or older, who had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2015. In addition, 94.1 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 30.6 percent and 87.1 percent, respectively.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201

$64,322
The median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the median household income of $55,775 for all households in 2015. In addition, 6.5 percent of family households headed by a householder of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the rate of 10.6 percent for all Americans.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201

43.1%
The percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans age 16 or older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations in 2015. Additionally, 24.5 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 15.1 percent in service occupations; 9.4 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations; and 7.8 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541

68.4%
The percentage of householders of Irish ancestry who owned the home in which they lived, with the remainder renting in 2015. For the nation as a whole, the homeownership rate was 63.0 percent.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201

241,481
The number of foreign-born U.S. residents with Irish ancestry in 2015. Of these, 143,972 had become naturalized citizens.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201 http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541 

40.5
The median age of those who claimed Irish ancestry, which was higher than U.S. residents as a whole at 37.8 years in 2015.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0201
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201

Sports Celebration of Irish Heritage

101,516
The population of South Bend, Ind., home to the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame. About 8.1 percent of South Bend's population claimed Irish ancestry in 2015.
Sources: Vintage 2015 Population Estimates and 2015 American Community Survey, Table DP02
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US18.16200 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/DP02/1600000US1871000

21.1%
The percentage of the Boston metropolitan area population that claimed Irish ancestry, the highest percentage among the 50 most populous metro areas in 2015. Boston is home to the Celtics of the National Basketball Association.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table DP02
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/DP02/310M200US14460

79,846 and 17,256
The population of New Rochelle, N.Y., and Moraga, Calif., home to the Gaels of Iona University and Saint Mary's College of California, respectively, in 2015. About 8.3 percent of the New Rochelle population and 14.1 percent of the Moraga population claimed Irish ancestry.
Sources: Vintage 2015 Population Estimates and 2011-2015 American Community Survey, Table DP02
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US36.16200 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US06.16200 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP02/1600000US0649187|1600000US3650617

Reminders of the Old Country

15
The number of places (incorporated places and census designated places) or county subdivisions in the United States that share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. The most populous of these places in 2015 was Dublin, Calif., at 57,721.
Sources: 2015 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files and Vintage 2015 Population Estimates
www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer.html 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US06.16200

If you're still not into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,720 residents.
Source: Vintage 2015 Population Estimates
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US37.16200

Other places and county subdivisions that might conjure up images of the old country include the township of Irishtown, Ill., several named Clover (in South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin) or one of the six places and county subdivisions named Shamrock (in Oklahoma, Texas [two], Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska).
Source: 2015 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files
www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer.html

20,590
The estimated number of U.S. residents who spoke Irish Gaelic. All except about 2,500 of them also spoke English "very well."
Source: Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2009-2013
www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html

120,144
The number of foreign-born people in 2015 who reported Ireland as their birthplace.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B05006 http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B05006

$39.0 billion
The value of goods imported from Ireland in 2015. Of that, the highest commodity category was Pharmaceuticals and Medicines at $25.0 billion.
Source: Trade in Goods with Ireland
www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4190.html

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

$133.0 million
The value of U.S. imports of cabbage in 2015. Cabbage is a well-known culinary tradition in St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Source: International Trade Statistics, HS 070511
https://usatrade.census.gov/

238,987 and 40,989
The number of full-service restaurants and drinking places (bars and taverns), respectively, in the United States in 2014. Many people will head to one or the other to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns, NAICS 722 http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~ALL-722

156
The number of synthetic dye and pigment manufacturing establishments around the United States in 2014. Part of the Windy City's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is to dye the Chicago River green. One of these establishments could have produced the dye they used.       
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns, NAICS 32513 http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~32513|325130

23.7 billion and 2.2 billion
The number of pounds of U.S. beef and cabbage production, respectively, in 2015. Corned beef and cabbage is a staple at St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/ers/LDP-M//2010s/2016/LDP-M-08-18-2016.pdf 
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/VegeSumm/VegeSumm-02-04-2016.pdf

The following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau's Facts for Features series:

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.

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