CB02-FF.04
March 4, 2002
Population Total
33.1 million
The number of U.S. residents who in 2000 said they were of Irish ancestry.
This number was almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (3.8 million). <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html>
23%
The percentage of Massachusetts residents who reported Irish ancestry in
2000. Massachusetts had a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than
any other state, edging out New Hampshire and Rhode Island (both at 21 percent). The national average was 12 percent. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
Coming to America
202,000
The number of U.S. residents who were born in Ireland as of 2000. The total
foreign-born population was 28.4 million. Ireland was among the top 10 countries
of birth among the foreign-born population as recently as 1970. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-18.html>
- As you go out and about this St. Patrick's Day, you may well run into a real live Irish citizen, as about 250,000 tourists from "the old sod" visited the United States during FY 1999. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html>
Trade with the Old Country
$17.3 billion
The value of U.S. imports from the Republic of Ireland during 2001 (excluding
December). Meanwhile, the United States exported $6.5 billion worth of goods to
Ireland. Organic chemicals accounted for the majority of the imports ($10.5 billion). <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
Places to Spend the Day
4
The number of places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem
of Ireland. Census 2000 shows that Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock,
Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 2,029 residents, respectively.
Shamrock Lakes, Ind., and Shamrock, Okla., had 168 and 125 residents, respectively.
<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>
The Celebration
32
Gallons of beer consumed per capita by American adults in 1999. Some
establishments offer green-dyed beer to their patrons on St. Patrick's Day.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html>
The preceding facts come from the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS);
the Current Population Survey; the Statistical Abstract of the United States;
U.S. import and export trade reports; and Census 2000. The data are subject to
sampling variability and other sources of error. Estimates from the C2SS exclude
the population living in group quarters. Previous 2002 Census Bureau Facts
for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day
(Feb. 14) and Women's History Month (March). Questions or comments should be
directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office
(tel: (301) 457-3030;
fax: (301) 457-3670; e-mail: <pio@census.gov>).
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