2022's Most Irish Cities in America

Image showing a group of friends wearing St. Patrick's day-themed attire to celebrate the holiday

Finding corned beef and green beer throughout the year can be like searching for a four-leaf clover. Not now. For those of Irish ancestry — and everyone else — a green March Madness is already in full swing.

Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but which cities have the greenest Irish roots?

LawnStarter ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities to find the ones where the most Irish eyes are smiling.

We looked beyond green bloodlines — we searched for cities where the locals know how to celebrate the Celtic spirit, too. Our metrics include:

The percentage of the Irish population
The number of Irish restaurants and pubs
The number of St. Patrick’s Day and other Irish cultural events
The number of Irish cultural groups and organizations

Find out how much luck your city carries in our ranking below, followed by some highlights and lowlights. You’ll also find a few notes on why the Irish immigrated to the U.S. and why everyone wears green on St. Pat’s Day.

City Rankings
Highlights and Lowlights
Ask the Experts
Methodology
Everyone Wears Green on St. Patrick’s Day

City Rankings

Which cities are wearing the green?

OVERALL RANK	City	Overall Score	Population Rank	Community Rank	Cuisine Rank	Events Rank
1	Boston, MA	54.66	7	6	3	3
2	Chicago, IL	54.01	92	5	2	1
3	New York, NY	52.22	153	1	1	2
4	Pittsburgh, PA	48.55	3	14	33	15
5	Naperville, IL	46.98	1	53	85	63
6	Philadelphia, PA	44.72	40	3	4	8
7	Denver, CO	44.05	51	2	16	6
8	Spokane, WA	42.35	2	119	59	92
9	Syracuse, NY	41.66	5	29	33	103
10	Worcester, MA	40.80	4	119	59	83
11	Buffalo, NY	40.20	25	9	21	21
12	Fort Collins, CO	39.61	11	16	85	103
13	Omaha, NE	39.30	8	107	59	41
14	Overland Park, KS	38.74	6	119	85	103
15	Colorado Springs, CO	37.71	29	16	46	24
16	Seattle, WA	37.45	23	35	11	24
17	Eugene, OR	37.24	11	53	133	92
18	Scottsdale, AZ	37.15	10	119	59	68
19	Olathe, KS	36.67	8	119	133	142
20	Madison, WI	36.05	13	119	59	59
21	Lakewood, CO	35.98	18	16	133	166
22	San Francisco, CA	35.73	87	4	5	12
23	Arlington, VA	35.06	17	53	21	77
24	Lexington, KY	34.90	15	107	46	59
25	Virginia Beach, VA	34.80	29	45	46	36
26	Joliet, IL	34.72	14	53	85	125
27	Portland, OR	34.39	28	53	28	45
28	Louisville, KY	33.98	21	119	28	51
29	Cape Coral, FL	33.90	21	53	85	92
30	Kansas City, MO	33.85	38	45	46	31
31	Boise, ID	33.83	15	119	85	77
32	Des Moines, IA	33.67	18	119	133	59
33	Port St. Lucie, FL	33.56	18	53	85	166
34	Columbus, OH	33.08	44	33	33	32
35	St. Petersburg, FL	33.05	33	53	33	48
36	Reno, NV	32.91	31	53	59	54
37	Alexandria, VA	32.60	40	24	46	103
38	Lincoln, NE	32.41	24	119	85	77
39	Sioux Falls, SD	32.37	25	107	59	92
40	Cary, NC	31.82	35	37	85	103
41	St. Louis, MO	31.72	59	45	6	27
42	Minneapolis, MN	31.32	44	53	11	54
43	Springfield, MO	31.31	35	53	46	103
44	Cincinnati, OH	31.30	47	107	59	29
45	Peoria, AZ	31.14	25	119	133	166
46	Yonkers, NY	31.11	50	26	11	103
47	Tacoma, WA	31.00	31	119	85	77
48	Huntington Beach, CA	30.92	33	119	59	68
49	Knoxville, TN	30.50	43	119	46	45
50	Fort Lauderdale, FL	30.24	69	8	46	51
51	Toledo, OH	30.12	35	119	85	92
52	Henderson, NV	29.94	49	53	133	63
53	St. Paul, MN	29.62	53	53	33	54
54	Metairie, LA	29.47	38	119	133	125
55	Indianapolis, IN	29.27	66	37	33	21
56	Vancouver, WA	28.93	40	119	85	166
57	Akron, OH	28.89	47	119	85	68
58	Salem, OR	28.86	53	45	85	103
59	Wichita, KS	28.71	56	119	85	36
60	San Diego, CA	28.70	103	14	21	7
61	Raleigh, NC	28.66	92	13	33	19
62	Santa Rosa, CA	28.55	44	119	85	103
63	Thornton, CO	28.33	61	16	133	166
64	Tulsa, OK	28.18	60	45	46	68
65	Cleveland, OH	27.96	69	33	11	41
66	Anchorage, AK	27.78	51	119	59	83
67	Nashville, TN	27.70	82	37	46	13
68	Tampa, FL	27.68	79	53	7	19
69	Rochester, NY	27.43	82	26	21	36
70	Washington, DC	27.28	113	10	9	13
71	Fort Wayne, IN	27.22	56	119	59	83
72	Murfreesboro, TN	26.92	53	119	133	125
73	Gilbert, AZ	26.79	56	119	133	103
74	Austin, TX	26.52	94	21	33	36
75	Dayton, OH	26.27	62	119	85	48
76	Rockford, IL	26.16	62	53	59	103
77	Huntsville, AL	26.14	62	107	85	63
78	Las Vegas, NV	25.68	87	53	8	32
79	Phoenix, AZ	25.66	101	28	21	29
80	Tucson, AZ	25.53	73	107	85	36
81	Norfolk, VA	25.29	85	53	85	32
82	Grand Rapids, MI	25.21	65	119	85	68
83	Chesapeake, VA	25.20	68	53	133	103
84	Oklahoma City, OK	25.11	75	53	59	59
85	Jacksonville, FL	25.04	85	53	59	41
86	Tempe, AZ	24.25	66	119	133	103
87	Aurora, CO	24.04	99	16	85	103
88	Tallahassee, FL	23.97	75	53	85	125
89	McKinney, TX	23.77	82	53	59	92
90	Chattanooga, TN	23.66	75	119	85	63
91	Frisco, TX	23.63	79	53	133	125
92	Springfield, MA	23.56	73	107	59	125
93	Charlotte, NC	23.40	103	107	18	24
94	Chandler, AZ	23.20	69	119	59	142
95	Clarksville, TN	23.14	69	119	85	142
96	Richmond, VA	22.94	120	21	33	48
97	Savannah, GA	22.76	113	119	46	10
98	Oceanside, CA	22.73	75	119	85	125
99	Aurora, IL	22.63	97	53	85	63
100	Amarillo, TX	22.62	87	53	133	142
101	Santa Clarita, CA	22.55	79	119	133	103
102	Houston, TX	22.46	166	7	18	8
103	Newport News, VA	22.08	94	53	133	103
104	Orlando, FL	21.87	137	24	10	15
105	Providence, RI	21.84	91	119	59	83
106	New Orleans, LA	21.50	136	10	28	41
107	Glendale, AZ	21.44	87	119	85	142
108	Milwaukee, WI	21.33	131	35	21	15
109	Dallas, TX	21.10	161	21	18	4
110	Plano, TX	20.82	109	53	133	92
111	Mesa, AZ	20.78	97	119	85	92
112	Kansas City, KS	20.54	94	119	133	142
113	Salt Lake City, UT	20.52	113	53	59	83
114	Albuquerque, NM	20.49	103	107	28	103
115	Atlanta, GA	20.38	131	51	11	27
116	Los Angeles, CA	20.33	167	10	16	5
117	Mobile, AL	20.04	103	119	46	92
118	Modesto, CA	20.03	99	119	85	142
119	Little Rock, AR	19.91	111	107	59	92
120	Elk Grove, CA	19.69	118	37	133	166
120	Baltimore, MD	19.69	134	106	28	21
122	Enterprise, NV	19.64	113	53	133	166
123	Torrance, CA	19.56	103	119	133	125
123	Sacramento, CA	19.56	121	37	33	83
125	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	19.53	101	119	133	166
126	Bellevue, WA	19.46	103	119	85	142
127	Fayetteville, NC	19.43	109	119	133	103
128	Spring Valley, NV	19.35	117	53	133	166
129	Lubbock, TX	19.10	119	53	133	125
130	Winston-Salem, NC	19.05	111	119	85	125
131	Fort Worth, TX	18.85	125	53	59	68
132	Paradise, NV	17.94	121	53	133	166
133	Midland, TX	17.81	125	53	133	142
134	San Antonio, TX	17.76	155	45	33	10
135	Columbus, GA	17.07	121	119	85	125
136	Orange, CA	17.01	121	119	133	125
137	Durham, NC	16.90	128	119	59	77
138	Arlington, TX	16.73	131	53	85	142
139	Fullerton, CA	16.50	127	119	85	125
140	Greensboro, NC	16.15	134	119	85	68
141	Pasadena, CA	15.88	129	119	133	125
142	Long Beach, CA	15.85	144	119	21	32
143	Irvine, CA	15.71	139	119	133	54
144	Garland, TX	15.67	137	53	133	166
145	Escondido, CA	15.63	129	119	85	166
146	Oakland, CA	15.37	143	37	85	142
147	Killeen, TX	15.26	141	53	133	142
148	Baton Rouge, LA	15.14	142	119	133	54
149	San Jose, CA	14.74	161	37	59	45
150	Jersey City, NJ	14.68	153	29	46	142
151	North Las Vegas, NV	14.31	144	53	85	166
152	Corona, CA	14.15	139	119	133	166
153	Hollywood, FL	13.90	146	53	85	142
154	Corpus Christi, TX	13.87	148	53	133	103
155	Fresno, CA	13.26	148	119	133	68
156	Sunnyvale, CA	13.00	160	37	59	166
157	Bakersfield, CA	12.95	148	119	133	83
158	Riverside, CA	12.92	146	119	133	103
159	Mesquite, TX	12.84	155	53	133	166
159	Sunrise Manor, NV	12.84	155	53	133	166
161	Memphis, TN	12.64	159	119	33	68
162	Shreveport, LA	12.17	148	119	133	166
162	Macon, GA	12.17	148	119	133	166
164	Fremont, CA	11.76	155	119	133	142
165	Lancaster, CA	10.76	161	119	133	166
166	Augusta, GA	10.68	164	119	133	83
167	Pasadena, TX	10.45	169	53	133	142
168	Pembroke Pines, FL	10.38	172	53	85	125
169	Irving, TX	10.35	177	53	133	92
170	Anaheim, CA	9.96	164	119	85	166
170	Honolulu, HI	9.96	172	107	33	103
172	Birmingham, AL	9.76	172	119	85	77
173	Grand Prairie, TX	9.73	177	53	133	166
174	Stockton, CA	9.34	167	119	133	166
175	Glendale, CA	9.27	172	107	133	166
175	Montgomery, AL	9.27	169	119	85	142
177	Hayward, CA	9.21	169	119	133	142
178	Bridgeport, CT	8.86	177	119	85	125
179	Garden Grove, CA	8.78	172	119	133	166
180	Detroit, MI	8.72	192	51	59	15
181	Palmdale, CA	8.49	177	119	133	166
182	Chula Vista, CA	7.93	181	119	133	166
183	El Paso, TX	7.33	186	53	133	142
184	San Bernardino, CA	7.23	182	119	133	142
185	Ontario, CA	6.95	183	119	133	142
186	Fontana, CA	6.79	183	119	133	166
187	Jackson, MS	6.59	185	119	85	125
188	Miami, FL	5.77	195	53	133	51
189	McAllen, TX	5.69	190	53	85	142
190	Oxnard, CA	5.53	187	119	133	142
191	Salinas, CA	5.10	188	119	133	166
192	Moreno Valley, CA	4.81	189	119	133	166
193	Pomona, CA	4.74	191	119	133	83
194	Miramar, FL	4.35	193	53	133	166
195	Paterson, NJ	4.32	196	29	133	142
196	Newark, NJ	4.28	196	29	59	166
197	Santa Ana, CA	3.58	193	119	133	103
198	Brownsville, TX	2.42	198	53	85	166
199	Laredo, TX	2.08	199	53	133	166
200	Hialeah, FL	1.23	200	53	133	166

Infographic showing the most Irish U.S. cities, a ranking based on the share of the Irish-American population and Irish businesses, organizations, and events — Note: We ranked 200 cities in the metrics shown above. However, the lowest ranking position for some metrics may not be 200 due to a significant tie among cities.

Highlights and Lowlights

Buckled in Boston

It’s not surprising that Boston continues to rank as the No. 1 Irish city in America. The Irish masses started arriving in Massachusetts after a blight hit the Emerald Isle’s potato crop in 1845. They came here searching for food and land — and fellow Irishmen.

Census data shows nearly 4,000 Irish-born immigrants (23% of the city’s population) lived in East Boston in 1855. Today, Irish-Americans still make up over 20% — or nearly 1 million — of the metro area’s population.

(Green) Bean Town and the surrounding suburbs remain the metro area with the most concentrated Irish population with huge Celtic celebrations, including the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. You’ll also find plenty of restaurants and pubs where the Guinness is flowing and big screens featuring the latest Irish soccer game.

The Windy City Wearing the Green

Chicago riverdances to the No. 2 spot in our ranking for holding the most Irish community events, 143 total. That’s nearly three times as many as in New York, the city with the second-highest number.

Of course, Chicago’s events calendar wouldn’t be complete without Irish step dancing classes. The McNulty School of Irish Dance traces its humble beginnings to the Windy City, more specifically its suburb Naperville, which has the highest share of Irish residents. The school has since spawned a number of similar schools in Chicago and across the country.

Chicago also gets points for its green spirit. Few other cities dye their rivers green for St. Paddy’s Day.

It’s Paddy and Parade Time

The Big (Green) Apple ranks No. 3 in our study — no surprise since New York holds the country’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Expect to see a six-hour-long line of Irish dancers, bagpipers, and jugglers marching down the streets with more than 2 million spectators on the sidelines.

Other big cities parading their Irish heritage include Philadelphia at No. 6 and Denver at No. 7. Philly’s parade is the second-oldest in the country. If you plan on watching the Mile High City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, bring a green blanket and a lawn chair: This parade lasts five hours.

Ask The Experts

We all could think a little more “green” by understanding one of the biggest ethnic groups in America and its traditions. To help our readers with their “Irishification,” LawnStarter reached out to researchers who study Irish culture. See what they had to say below.

What are the three best ways to learn about Irish culture?
What’s the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year?
What effects of Irish immigration linger in contemporary American culture?

Karen Sonnelitter

Assistant Professor of History

Mary C. Kelly

Historian and Director of the Global Irish Studies Certificate Program

Karen Sonnelitter

Assistant Professor of History

Siena College

Karen Sonnelitter

Assistant Professor of History

Siena College

What are the three best ways to learn about Irish culture?

1. Depending on your city, there may be an Irish cultural center or a branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Cultural centers are great ways to learn about Irish music, arts, dancing, and sports. Many of them also offer Irish language classes.

There might even be an annual Irish festival in your community.

2. Even if your city doesn’t have an Irish cultural center, it probably has an Irish pub. Irish pubs started appearing in the U.S. in the 19th century during a huge wave of Irish immigration. Lots of pubs put on traditional Irish music sessions, so that’s a great way to experience Irish culture.

3. You can also learn about Irish culture without leaving your home. You can start learning the Irish language (Gaelic) using apps like Duolingo, and there are plenty of online communities where people connect to learn the Irish language.

Increasingly, many Irish cultural events are also available online. The Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, New York, now livestreams most of its events via its Facebook page.

What’s the best way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day this year?

Many cities are reinstating their annual St. Patrick’s Day parades this year, so attending one of those is always a good way to celebrate. Heading to an Irish pub for a pint of Guinness is always a great way to celebrate.

The traditional Irish-American celebration is to make corned beef and cabbage. This isn’t a common celebration in Ireland. Instead, this meal became popular with 19th-century Irish immigrants. But for many Irish American families, a St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage, along with Irish soda bread, is a cherished tradition.

So, you can always choose to stay in with a good meal and try your hand at baking your own soda bread. Soda bread is quick bread that was being made in Ireland as far back as 1836.

What effects of Irish immigration linger in contemporary American culture?

The Irish have been coming to the United States since before we were the United States. But the 19th century saw a huge wave of immigration beginning with the Great Famine in Ireland.

It was this wave of emigration that transformed many American cities, and chances are most of the cities on this list began to be seen as Irish cities during that era. This wave of Irish immigrants helped to build massive infrastructure projects such as the Erie Canal or the transcontinental railway.

There are tons of lingering effects from the ubiquity of Irish surnames to the presence of Irish pubs everywhere. Thirty-one and a half million Americans claim some Irish descent.

One of the biggest ways the effects of this immigration lingers is through our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Back in the 19th century, Irish immigrants faced considerable discrimination, but these days everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

Mary C. Kelly

Historian and Director of the Global Irish Studies Certificate Program

Franklin Pierce University

Mary C. Kelly

Historian and Director of the Global Irish Studies Certificate Program

Franklin Pierce University

What are the three best ways to learn about Irish culture?

1. Visit Ireland. May to September is an ideal timeframe to plan a visit, with May to June and September offering good possibilities of fine weather, shorter queues at popular historical sites and attractions, cheaper fares and accommodations, and greater choice in flight options and hotels, B&Bs, and Airbnb availability.

Travel around the coast, across the midlands, around Ulster — the country is travel-friendly in terms of public transportation or car hire, and you will learn so much about Irish culture.

2. Read Irish history, fiction, and poetry. The breadth of focus stretches from studies of monastic centers of learning in the Middle Ages to post Celtic-Tiger Ireland today, and the wealth of historical and literary offerings will engage you deeply with the national culture.

Irish literature is world-renowned, from canonical writers and poets such as Swift, Joyce, Yeats, Wilde, Shaw, and Heaney to newer stars like Sally Rooney and Donal Ryan — reading Irish authors will educate you on Ireland in deep and satisfying ways.

3. Identify a cultural theme to explore and pursue it by means of online, film, and published sources. Such themes might include Irish folklore, traditional crafts, pilgrimage sites, or sports played in Ireland. Your selected focus will draw you in to an Irish cultural cornerstone and assuredly educate you on what it means to be Irish.

What’s the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year?

Watch one of the recent historical or cultural documentaries on a selected aspect of Ireland (for example, “The Hunger, The Story of the Irish Famine of the 1840s” or “The Burren: Heart of Stone”). And offer a greeting for the big day in Irish: La Fhéile Phadraig shona dhuitse!

What effects of Irish immigration linger in contemporary American culture?

The legacy of Irish arrival and settlement in America is a rich incorporation of a broad spectrum of influences and effects.

From historic neighborhoods where Irish Famine refugees settled, such as the Five Points and Bowery in New York or the old North End in Boston, to the ethnic foundations they established in spheres of politics, education, and business, the Irish imprint is deep and enduring.

The range of Irish Studies academic programs, Irish-themed dramatic-arts outlets, Irish clothing and crafts, and general interest in all things Irish across the United States continues to expand, and the reach is extraordinary.

And celebration of immigrant Irish achievement in these forms has become as much a part of the deeper meaning of St. Patrick’s Day as the more visible forms of engagement we witness on the day.

Methodology

We ranked 200 of the biggest U.S. cities from the most Irish (No. 1) to the least (No. 200) based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points), averaged across all the weighted metrics listed below.

“Local” and “State Irish organizations” include, among others, Irish cultural and heritage centers and clubs; museums; dance schools; libraries; immigration, legal, and welfare support centers; and networking associations.

Metric	Weighting	Min. Value	Max. Value	Best
Population
Share of Irish Population	6	0.20%	15.90%	Max. Value
Community
Number of Irish Cultural Meetup Groups	2	0	8	Max. Value
Number of Local Irish Organizations	1	0	15	Max. Value
Number of State Irish Organizations	0.5	0	3	Max. Value
Cuisine
Number of Irish Restaurants and Bars	1	0	132	Max. Value
Events
Number of St. Patrick's Day and Other Irish Cultural Events	3	0	143	Max. Value

Sources: Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers, Global Irish, Google Events, The Ireland Funds, Irish-American Heritage Museum, Irish Network USA, Mark Holan’s Irish-American Blog, Meetup, Transceltic, TripAdvisor, and U.S. Census Bureau

Everyone Wears Green on St. Patrick’s Day

If you’re lucky enough to be Irish — you’re lucky enough! And one in every 10 Americans is lucky enough to claim Irish ancestry. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the latest number of Irish-Americans at 31.5 million. That’s more than six times the current population of the Emerald Isle. Why should we care? Two reasons: land and property.

Originally, many of the Irish came to the U.S. searching for land. The Census Bureau’s 2021 community survey shows that nearly 69% of Irish-Americans are homeowners, the highest for any ethnic group. Many Irish-Americans say they’re looking to duplicate the green space they enjoyed in the old country.

Pittsburgh and Chicago suburb Naperville rank No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, due to the fact that property was plentiful when the Irish started arriving in the U.S. It’s the same reason many Irish headed to Spokane, Syracuse, and Buffalo, looking for greener pastures. Speaking of greener pastures, if you want grass that makes your neighbors green with envy, hire a LawnStarter pro.

Whether you’re looking for green or that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we’ll forgive you this St. Paddy’s Day for wearing the green if you’re not Irish.

After all, St. Patrick wasn’t Irish, either. He was an Englishman who migrated to Ireland to convert the country to Christianity. And don’t get us started on whether he chased the snakes from the Emerald Isle.

Main Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Brenda Stuart Ryan

Brenda Stuart-Ryan is a journalist and the proud mother of two girls who spent years competing in Irish step-dancing competitions. She spent years driving them back and forth to lessons and competitions.

Posts by Brenda Stuart Ryan

2022’s Most Irish Cities in America

Table of Contents

City Rankings

Highlights and Lowlights

Buckled in Boston

The Windy City Wearing the Green

It’s Paddy and Parade Time

Ask The Experts

Methodology

Everyone Wears Green on St. Patrick’s Day

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Brenda Stuart Ryan