Irish Ancestry in United States
Irish Americans are Americans who have full or partial Irish ancestry. People of Irish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. In the United States Census 2020, about 36 million people identified as being fully or partly of Irish ancestry, forming the third largest single ethnic group in the country as well as the largest population of Irish outside of Ireland. According to the US Census 2021 estimates, there were 36,115,472 (10.9% of the U.S. population) people of Irish descent in the U.S.
2021 Census Estimates
| Irish Population | Population 2021 | % of Total |
| Irish alone and in any combination | 33,618,500 | 10.1% |
| Irish alone | 9,919,263 | 3% |
Including Scotch-Irish Americans:
| Irish + Scottish Irish | Population 2021 | % of Total |
| alone and in any combination | 36,115,472 | 10.90% |
| alone | 10,899,442 | 3.30% |
also read about European ancestry in the United States
Top US States by Irish population
Population-wise California (2.33 million) has the largest number of people with Irish Ancestry followed by New York (2.16 million) and Pennsylvania (1.98 million). Percentage-wise top US states with Irish Ancestry are New Hampshire (20.58%), Massachusetts(19.71%), Rhode Island (17.21%), Maine (16.67%), and Vermont (16.54%)
List of States by Irish Ancestry Population
| # | State | Irish Population | % of the State Population |
| 1 | Alabama | 392,052 | 8.01% |
| 2 | Alaska | 71,425 | 9.69% |
| 3 | Arizona | 617,231 | 8.60% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 283,345 | 9.41% |
| 5 | California | 2,331,714 | 5.93% |
| 6 | Colorado | 619,321 | 10.89% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 537,144 | 15.04% |
| 8 | Delaware | 137,609 | 14.22% |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 49,498 | 7.05% |
| 10 | Florida | 1,776,586 | 8.37% |
| 11 | Georgia | 738,036 | 7.02% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 62,439 | 4.40% |
| 13 | Idaho | 159,301 | 9.08% |
| 14 | Illinois | 1,401,831 | 11.02% |
| 15 | Indiana | 697,417 | 10.41% |
| 16 | Iowa | 409,015 | 12.98% |
| 17 | Kansas | 329,541 | 11.31% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 500,792 | 11.22% |
| 19 | Louisiana | 305,477 | 6.55% |
| 20 | Maine | 223,464 | 16.67% |
| 21 | Maryland | 594,307 | 9.84% |
| 22 | Massachusetts | 1,354,532 | 19.71% |
| 23 | Michigan | 1,017,747 | 10.20% |
| 24 | Minnesota | 560,185 | 10.00% |
| 25 | Mississippi | 201,669 | 6.76% |
| 26 | Missouri | 750,732 | 12.26% |
| 27 | Montana | 144,683 | 13.63% |
| 28 | Nebraska | 229,468 | 11.93% |
| 29 | Nevada | 246,595 | 8.14% |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 278,913 | 20.58% |
| 31 | New Jersey | 1,181,301 | 13.29% |
| 32 | New Mexico | 127,440 | 6.08% |
| 33 | New York | 2,167,420 | 11.11% |
| 34 | North Carolina | 832,880 | 8.02% |
| 35 | North Dakota | 56,241 | 7.40% |
| 36 | Ohio | 1,480,335 | 12.68% |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 400,967 | 10.15% |
| 38 | Oregon | 460,088 | 11.02% |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 1,978,043 | 15.46% |
| 40 | Puerto Rico | 819 | 0.03% |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 182,012 | 17.21% |
| 42 | South Carolina | 435,703 | 8.56% |
| 43 | South Dakota | 88,957 | 10.12% |
| 44 | Tennessee | 628,562 | 9.28% |
| 45 | Texas | 1,745,532 | 6.10% |
| 46 | Utah | 185,927 | 5.90% |
| 47 | Vermont | 103,241 | 16.54% |
| 48 | Virginia | 767,238 | 9.02% |
| 49 | Washington | 759,024 | 10.10% |
| 50 | West Virginia | 232,834 | 12.88% |
| 51 | Wisconsin | 615,730 | 10.60% |
| 52 | Wyoming | 66,585 | 11.45% |
Source: US Census 2020
also read about US States by population
Top U.S Cities by Irish population
Irish was the largest group in 80 counties, concentrated in southern New England and New York, the Philadelphia area, parts of south Florida, as well as several counties in Alaska, two counties in Montana (Deer Lodge and Silver Bow), San Mateo and San Francisco counties in California, and Orleans Parish, Louisiana. The largest Irish population (567,668) was in Cook County, Illinois, home to Chicago.
New York City Metro area with 1.68 million people of Irish ancestry, has the largest population of Irish Americans. It’s followed by Philadelphia (1,031,599) and the Chicago metro area (966,119).
Top Metro Areas by Irish Population
| # | Metro Area | Irish | % of Total |
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 1,686,529 | 8.53% |
| 2 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,031,599 | 16.56% |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 966,119 | 10.16% |
| 4 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 950,095 | 19.39% |
| 5 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 554,368 | 4.27% |
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 539,842 | 8.49% |
| 7 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 503,124 | 6.48% |
| 8 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 426,016 | 8.61% |
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 419,020 | 6.82% |
| 10 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 410,138 | 11.11% |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | 394,709 | 16.77% |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 382,108 | 9.53% |
| 13 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 380,133 | 8.71% |
| 14 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 368,449 | 13.13% |
| 15 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 342,245 | 4.75% |
| 16 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 320,702 | 10.79% |
| 17 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 318,384 | 6.89% |
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 316,118 | 9.82% |
| 19 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 314,470 | 11.08% |
| 20 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 300,271 | 13.28% |
| 21 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 282,320 | 16.85% |
| 22 | Columbus, OH | 281,925 | 13.11% |
| 23 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 276,668 | 13.33% |
| 24 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 267,885 | 12.18% |
| 25 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 264,105 | 10.52% |
| 26 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 260,412 | 7.92% |
| 27 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 250,436 | 4.11% |
| 28 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 242,541 | 8.98% |
| 29 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 238,610 | 5.13% |
| 30 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 200,289 | 8.51% |
| 31 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 198,576 | 9.33% |
| 32 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 194,464 | 8.06% |
| 33 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 186,986 | 9.29% |
| 34 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 183,248 | 15.77% |
| 35 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 183,092 | 20.36% |
| 36 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 176,512 | 6.56% |
| 37 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 169,641 | 13.20% |
| 38 | Worcester, MA-CT | 168,992 | 17.27% |
| 39 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 167,281 | 9.26% |
| 40 | Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | 162,834 | 13.44% |
| 41 | Jacksonville, FL | 161,378 | 9.85% |
| 42 | Rochester, NY | 157,522 | 14.52% |
| 43 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 148,975 | 5.73% |
| 44 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 146,836 | 9.37% |
| 45 | Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 145,640 | 6.35% |
| 46 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 139,089 | 9.60% |
| 47 | Oklahoma City, OK | 132,010 | 9.16% |
| 48 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 131,097 | 13.66% |
| 49 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 121,504 | 12.50% |
| 50 | Syracuse, NY | 115,248 | 17.51% |
| 51 | New Haven-Milford, CT | 113,414 | 13.13% |
| 52 | Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY | 111,417 | 15.88% |
| 53 | Richmond, VA | 108,544 | 8.24% |
| 54 | Tulsa, OK | 105,809 | 10.33% |
| 55 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 103,330 | 8.19% |
Source: US Census 2020
also read about Top US Cities by Population
Irish Ancestry in Americas
People of Irish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. With an estimated size of approximately 40 million, It forms an important group in the United States (11% of the Population), Canada (14% of the population), Argentina (3% of the population), Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico.
Irish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish Canadians account for about 13.43% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2020, there were 4,627,000 people of Irish descent in Canada.
read more About the Irish population in Canada
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