CB11-FF.03 

 Jan. 13, 2011

 

 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) 

and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17): 2011

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

36.9 million

Number of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2009. This number was more than eight 

times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million). Irish was the nation’s second most frequently 

reported ancestry, trailing only German. 

Sources: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=dat

asets_2&_lang=en > and Ireland Central Statistics Office 

<http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/popmig.pdf> 

122,000

Number of Irish-born U.S. residents in 2009. Those from Ireland are much older (a median of 60

years old) and have a higher median household income ($56,158) than U.S. residents as a whole

(37 years and $50,221, respectively).

Source: 2009 American Community Survey

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

24%

Percent of Massachusetts residents who were of Irish ancestry in 2009. This compares with a rate 

of 12 percent for the nation as a whole. 
Source: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

Irish-Americans Today

32%

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

addition, 92 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 percent and 85 percent respectively. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

$56,383

Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the $50,221 for all 

households. In addition, 10 percent of people of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the 

rate of 14 percent for all Americans. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

40%

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

professional and related occupations. Additionally, 27 percent worked in sales and office 

occupations; 16 percent in service occupations; 9 percent in production, transportation and 

material moving occupations; and 8 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair 

occupations. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

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 66 percent. 

Source: 2009 American Community Survey 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&

_lang=en&_ts=>

Places to Spend the Day

4

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 2,623 and 
1,828 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 152 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 

122. (Statistic for Mount Gay-Shamrock is from the 2000 Census; the other statistics are 

2009 estimates.)

Sources: American FactFinder and population estimates 

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=PEP&_submenuId=data

sets_3&_lang=en

9

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

2000 Census, Dublin, Calif., has surpassed Dublin, Ohio, as the most populous of these places 

(44,541 compared with 39,310, respectively, as of July 1, 2009). 

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 3,695 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) and the township of Cloverleaf, Minn. 

Sources: American FactFinder and population estimates 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=PEP&_submenuId=&_

lang=en&_ts=>

The Celebration

26.1 billion and 2.3 billion

U.S. beef and cabbage production, respectively, in pounds, in 2009. Corned beef and cabbage is 

a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. 

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 

<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/LiveSlauSu/LiveSlauSu-04-29-2010.pdf> and 

<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/VegeSumm/VegeSumm-01-27-2010.pdf>

$25 million

Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2009 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/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072> 
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>.