Where are the most Irish people in the US? Census reveals all

Today, March 12, marks the launch of the 2020 US Census! Where in the United States do most Irish folks live? We look to the last US Census for answers.

Celebrating Irish American Heritage Month in 2018, the United States Census Bureau surveys released an intriguing graphic based on the 2016 US Census which shows where in the USA most Irish and Irish Americans live.

Read More: Trump officially launches Irish American Heritage Month 2020

An amazing 32.3 million or 10 percent of people living in the USA claim Irish heritage. According to the Census Bureau surveys, that’s more than claim to be American (20.1 million)! A whopping 125,840 Irish born people also live in the United States but where exactly do all these Irish and Irish Americans reside?

Not surprisingly, the graphic shows that the largest density of Irish live in the northeast – Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut – and then Pennsylvania, all boasting of over 15 percent Irish heritage. It seems that the southern states such as California, Texas and Louisiana miss out with the lowest Irish representation.

Where did your Irish ancestors settle?

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US Census Bureau's study of the density of Irish heritage in the USA.

Read more: These are the most Irish metropolitan areas in the US

As part of the Irish American Heritage Month salute, the United States Census Bureau also releases some fast faces about the Irish in America, St. Patrick’s Day and the USA’s celebrations:

- The U.S. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year

- 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

- 32.3 million or 10%: The number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2016

- 125,840: The number of foreign-born U.S. residents who reported Ireland as their birthplace in 2016

- 49.5%: The percentage of the population of Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, Mass., who claimed Irish ancestry in 2016

- 20,590: The estimated number of U.S. residents who spoke Irish Gaelic

Proud of Irish heritage and celebrating this March? Let us know how your community will celebrate below.

* Originally published in March 2018, updated in March 2020