Irish Population in Josephine County, OR by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Irish population in Josephine County, OR totals 10,808 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Grants Pass and Cave Junction account for 5,459 and 255 residents respectively, suggesting a shared urban presence. However, the remaining population appears to reside outside city boundaries, likely spread across unincorporated parts of Josephine County or smaller incorporated cities not captured in this ranking analysis*. The analysis below explores this hybrid distribution and how it reflects broader trends across Oregon counties.

Top 5 cities with the largest Irish population in Josephine County

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  • 1
    Grants Pass
    Irish population in Grants Pass is 5,459
    13.93% of Grants Pass population is Irish
  • 2
    Cave Junction
    Irish population in Cave Junction is 255
    14.99% of Cave Junction population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in Josephine County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Josephine County with 10,808 Irish residents (12.3% of 88,069 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 80th percentile nationally among counties and 64th percentile within Oregon for Irish population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Josephine County's Irish population of 12.3% surpassing both Oregon's state average of 10.9% 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 Josephine County with 10,808 Irish residents, representing 2.3% of Oregon's total Irish population of 461,857.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Josephine County maintains 6.6 Irish Americans per square mile compared to Oregon's average of 4.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
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Josephine County Cities by Irish Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show Grants Pass and Cave Junction account for 5,459 and 255 Irish residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in Josephine County, OR.
cities in Josephine County, OR ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
City
Irish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Josephine County Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Grants Pass 5,459 13.93% 50.51%
2 Cave Junction 255 14.99% 2.36%
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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 Josephine County, OR 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:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Irish .
  2. % of Total Josephine 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

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.