Irish-American Heritage Month and St. Patrick’s Day 2017

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

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 of 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.

Population

32.7 million or 10.2 percent The number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2015. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation’s secondmost frequently reported European ancestry, trailing German. 20.2 percent The percentage of Massachusetts residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2015. New Hampshire, at 20.6 percent, was the only other state in which at in 2015, the location of one of the nation’s most renowned St. Patrick’s Day traditions: dyeing the Chicago River green. Chicago’s IrishAmerican population was second among cities only to New York (357,147), home to the world’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade. Philadelphia was third at 176,725.

Irish-Americans Today

36.2 percent The percentage of people of Irish ancestry, age 25 or older, who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2015. In addition, 94.1 percent of IrishAmericans in this age group had at least a high school diploma. For the nation as a whole, the corresponding rates were 30.6 percent and 87.1 percent, respectively. $64,322 The median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the median household income of $55,775 for all households in 2015. In addition, 6.5 percent of family households headed by a householder of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the rate of 10.6 percent for all Americans. 43.1 percent The percentage of employed civilian Irish-