CB12-FF.03 

 Jan. 24, 2012 

 

 

 

 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) 

and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17): 2012

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. 

 

Population Distribution 

34.7 million Number of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2010. This number was more than seven 

times the population of Ireland itself (4.58 million). Irish was the nation’s second most 

frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German. 

Sources: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

Ireland Central Statistics Office 

<http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/Populatio

n%20and%20Migration%20Estimates%20April%202011.pdf> 

144,588 

Number of Irish-born naturalized U.S. residents in 2010. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

39.2 years old 

Median age of those who claim Irish ancestry is higher than U.S. residents as a whole 

(37.2 years). 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

Follow @uscensusbureau on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Ustream.
13%

Percent of New York state residents who were of Irish ancestry in 2010. This compares with a 

rate of 11.2 percent for the nation as a whole. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/DP02/0400000US36> 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/DP02> 

Irish-Americans Today 

33%

Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who had a bachelor’s degree or higher. In 

addition, 92.5 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 28.2 percent and 85.6 percent, 

respectively. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

$56,363

Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the $50,046 for all 

households. In addition, 6.9 percent of households of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than 

the rate of 11.3 percent for all Americans. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

41%

Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older who worked in management, 

professional and related occupations. Additionally, 26.3 percent worked in sales and office 

occupations; 15.7 percent in service occupations; 9.2 percent in production, transportation and 

material moving occupations; and 7.8 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair 

occupations. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 

70%

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 65.4 percent. 

Source: 2010 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0201//popgroup~541> 
Places to Spend the Day 

7 

Number of places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount 

Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 1,779 and 

1,910 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 231 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 

101, and three Shamrock Townships in Minnesota, Nebraska and Missouri had populations of 

1,272, 413 and 40, respectively. 

Source: 2010 Demographic Profile 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US2700159368|0

600000US2902766962|0600000US3108944525|1600000US1868976|1600000US4066600|16000

00US4867160|1600000US5456342> 

16

Number of places in the United States that share the name of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. The most 

populous of these places is Dublin, Calif., with a population of 46,036. 

Source: 2010 Demographic Profile 

<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US0620018> 

 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 3,655 residents. 

 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile 

 <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3721160> 

 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) and the township of Cloverleaf, Minn. 

The Celebration 

26.4 billion and 2.3 billion 

U.S. beef and cabbage production, respectively, in pounds, in 2010. Corned beef and cabbage is 

a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. 

Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 

<http://www.ers.usda.gov/news/BSECoverage.htm> and 

<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1397> 

$24 million

Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2010 for operations with 

$100,000 or more sales. Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick’s Day 

celebrations. 

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 

<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/FlorCrop/FlorCrop-04-21-2011_revision.pdf> 
Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features

series: 

African-American History Month (February) Labor Day 

Super Bowl Grandparents Day 

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) 

Women’s History Month (March) Unmarried and Single Americans Week 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/ Halloween (Oct. 31) 

 St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) (November) 

Older Americans Month (May) Veterans Day (Nov. 11) 

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) Thanksgiving Day 

Mother’s Day The Holiday Season (December) 

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) 

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: 

<pio@census.gov>.