How many Americans claim Irish ancestry?
In the 2024 American Community Survey, 32.4 million United States residents, 9.5 percent of the population, claimed Irish ancestry. The Census Bureau publishes the figures each March for Irish American Heritage Month. The same survey counted 116,641 residents who were born in Ireland itself, a reminder that the ancestry figure is mostly the descendants: grandchildren and great-grandchildren of emigrants, several generations American. The largest single concentration is Cook County, Illinois, around Chicago, with 436,577 people claiming Irish ancestry. By share of population, New Hampshire comes top on the survey figures, at about a fifth of its people.
Useful pages: Irish in USA · The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · Coming home · Irish around the world
Sources
- US Census Bureau: Facts for Features, Irish American Heritage Month and St Patrick's Day, and the American Community Survey, census.gov
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