Irish Population in Montgomery County, MD by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Irish population in Montgomery County, MD is recorded at 79,720 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Montgomery County, MD has some Irish population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how Irish communities are spread across Montgomery County, MD and comparable counties throughout Maryland.

Top 5 cities with the largest Irish population in Montgomery County

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  • 1
    Rockville
    Irish population in Rockville is 4,593
    6.83% of Rockville population is Irish
  • 2
    Gaithersburg
    Irish population in Gaithersburg is 3,674
    5.31% of Gaithersburg population is Irish
  • 3
    Takoma Park
    Irish population in Takoma Park is 1,376
    7.85% of Takoma Park population is Irish
  • 4
    Poolesville
    Irish population in Poolesville is 1,027
    18.00% of Poolesville population is Irish
  • 5
    Chevy Chase
    Irish population in Chevy Chase is 641
    22.23% of Chevy Chase population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in Montgomery County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Montgomery County contains 79,720 Irish residents (7.5% of 1.1 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 95th percentile within Maryland for Irish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Montgomery County's Irish population of 7.5% remains below Maryland's state average of 9.3% and the national average of 9.4%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Montgomery County's 79,720 Irish residents constitute 13.9% of Maryland's total Irish population of 574,470, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 13.9% of all Maryland Irish Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Montgomery County's density of 161.7 Irish Americans per square mile exceeds Maryland's average of 59.2 per square mile by two and three-quarters times, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Irish demographic communities.
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15 Cities in Montgomery County Ranked by Irish Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Irish populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Rockville, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, and Poolesville. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 15 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Montgomery County, MD ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
City
Irish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Montgomery County Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Rockville 4,593 6.83% 5.76%
2 Gaithersburg 3,674 5.31% 4.61%
3 Takoma Park 1,376 7.85% 1.73%
4 Poolesville 1,027 18.00% 1.29%
5 Chevy Chase 641 22.23% 0.80%
6 Chevy Chase Village 452 24.30% 0.57%
7 Kensington 317 14.10% 0.40%
8 294 26.92% 0.37%
9 180 17.66% 0.23%
10 174 17.67% 0.22%
11 154 17.66% 0.19%
12 153 19.95% 0.19%
13 122 11.96% 0.15%
14 117 17.08% 0.15%
15 62 8.27% 0.08%
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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 Montgomery County, MD 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 Montgomery 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.