Irish Population in Albany County, NY by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights
The Irish population in Albany County, NY is officially recorded at 62,648, with all of the county''s incorporated cities reporting residents of Irish ancestry. Among them, Colonie town (19,119), Albany (14,331), and Bethlehem town (8,767) account for the largest shares. Interestingly, when adding up individual city estimates, the total surpasses the county-level figure - a difference that often arises from how city and county statistics are modeled separately. Below, we explore how Irish communities are distributed across New York''s more urbanized and fragmented counties.
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Top 5 cities with the largest Irish population in Albany County
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1Colonie townIrish population in Colonie town is 19,11922.38% of Colonie town population is Irish
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2AlbanyIrish population in Albany is 14,33114.32% of Albany population is Irish
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3Bethlehem townIrish population in Bethlehem town is 8,76725.05% of Bethlehem town population is Irish
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4Guilderland townIrish population in Guilderland town is 7,72820.93% of Guilderland town population is Irish
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5CohoesIrish population in Cohoes is 3,31018.35% of Cohoes population is Irish
Overview of Irish population in Albany County
- Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Albany County with 62,648 Irish residents (19.9% of 315,374 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 96th percentile nationally among counties and 83rd percentile within New York for Irish population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
- Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Albany County's Irish population of 19.9% surpassing both New York's state average of 10.6% and the national average of 9.4%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
- Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Albany County with 62,648 Irish residents, representing 3% of New York's total Irish population of 2.1 million.
- Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Albany County's density of 119.8 Irish Americans per square mile exceeds New York's average of 44.6 per square mile by more than double, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Irish demographic communities.
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18 Cities in Albany County Ranked by Irish Population
ACS data [1] confirm Irish populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Colonie town, Albany, Bethlehem town, and Guilderland town. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 18 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
Methodology
This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Albany County, NY by their Irish population, using the most recent ACS data available.
How the Census defines Irish population
The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Irish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
- Some people identify as Irish alone, while others identify as Irish along with another race (such as Irish and German).
- We’ve used the “Irish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Irish population in each area.
How We Ranked the Data
This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Irish alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
- % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Irish .
- % of Total Albany County Irish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Irish population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.
Things to Keep in Mind
Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
- In places with very small Irish populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
- Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
- City that don’t have any reported Irish population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Irish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles 2023.