Irish Population in Michigan by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Irish population in Michigan totals 990,650. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Oakland County leading at 134,910, followed by Wayne County (120,407) and Macomb County (84,694). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Michigan by their Irish population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Irish population in Michigan

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  • 1
    Oakland County
    Irish population in Oakland County is 134,910
    10.60% of Oakland County population is Irish
  • 2
    Wayne County
    Irish population in Wayne County is 120,407
    6.79% of Wayne County population is Irish
  • 3
    Macomb County
    Irish population in Macomb County is 84,694
    9.65% of Macomb County population is Irish
  • 4
    Kent County
    Irish population in Kent County is 59,920
    9.09% of Kent County population is Irish
  • 5
    Genesee County
    Irish population in Genesee County is 43,372
    10.73% of Genesee County population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in Michigan

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Michigan with 990,650 Irish residents (9.9% of 10.1 million total state population), ranking the state at the 81st percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Irish demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Michigan's Irish population of 9.9% exceeds the national average of 9.4% by a factor of 1.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Michigan hosts 990,650 Irish residents, representing 3.2% of the nation's total Irish population of 31.2 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data show Michigan maintains 17.5 Irish Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 8.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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83 Counties in Michigan Ranked by Irish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Irish populations across every county in Michigan, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Oakland County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Michigan ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
County
Irish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Michigan Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Oakland County 134,910 10.60% 13.62%
2 Wayne County 120,407 6.79% 12.15%
3 Macomb County 84,694 9.65% 8.55%
4 Kent County 59,920 9.09% 6.05%
5 Genesee County 43,372 10.73% 4.38%
6 Washtenaw County 37,533 10.19% 3.79%
7 Ingham County 29,374 10.42% 2.97%
8 27,864 14.28% 2.81%
9 27,109 10.37% 2.74%
10 24,799 8.30% 2.50%
11 21,954 13.71% 2.22%
12 19,815 12.38% 2.00%
13 18,108 9.57% 1.83%
14 17,766 11.46% 1.79%
15 15,822 10.31% 1.60%
16 14,405 8.21% 1.45%
17 13,597 12.47% 1.37%
18 12,939 13.51% 1.31%
19 12,754 9.53% 1.29%
20 11,255 12.69% 1.14%
21 10,302 8.52% 1.04%
22 10,204 9.88% 1.03%
23 9,962 10.08% 1.01%
24 9,794 11.71% 0.99%
25 9,354 11.78% 0.94%
26 9,282 13.64% 0.94%
27 8,955 11.83% 0.90%
28 7,894 11.83% 0.80%
29 7,825 12.14% 0.79%
30 7,154 10.65% 0.72%
31 6,760 10.18% 0.68%
32 6,734 10.69% 0.68%
33 5,781 10.89% 0.58%
34 5,522 10.70% 0.56%
35 5,167 8.49% 0.52%
36 5,015 10.98% 0.51%
37 5,007 9.93% 0.51%
38 4,804 11.84% 0.48%
39 4,377 9.75% 0.44%
40 4,372 10.84% 0.44%
41 4,305 12.60% 0.43%
42 4,218 13.56% 0.43%
43 4,027 15.40% 0.41%
44 3,888 15.34% 0.39%
45 3,867 15.00% 0.39%
46 3,819 9.21% 0.39%
47 3,746 10.17% 0.38%
48 3,501 14.66% 0.35%
48 3,501 9.61% 0.35%
49 3,070 9.82% 0.31%
49 3,070 9.06% 0.31%
50 3,037 11.99% 0.31%
51 3,013 8.05% 0.30%
52 2,770 9.58% 0.28%
53 2,769 11.71% 0.28%
54 2,728 10.68% 0.28%
55 2,716 12.01% 0.27%
56 2,701 9.26% 0.27%
57 2,648 9.89% 0.27%
58 2,556 10.12% 0.26%
59 2,542 10.99% 0.26%
60 2,292 12.61% 0.23%
61 2,244 10.76% 0.23%
62 2,176 12.01% 0.22%
63 2,169 16.34% 0.22%
64 2,150 8.29% 0.22%
65 1,871 12.43% 0.19%
66 1,864 8.00% 0.19%
67 1,521 14.75% 0.15%
68 1,444 9.53% 0.15%
69 1,327 10.10% 0.13%
70 1,234 8.60% 0.12%
71 1,229 9.92% 0.12%
72 1,185 10.91% 0.12%
73 1,144 12.21% 0.12%
74 993 11.27% 0.10%
75 925 11.09% 0.09%
76 850 7.30% 0.09%
77 769 9.50% 0.08%
78 671 10.61% 0.07%
79 665 8.06% 0.07%
80 640 10.90% 0.06%
81 133 6.32% 0.01%
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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 county in Michigan 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 county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Irish .
  2. % of Total Michigan 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.
  • County 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.