Irish Population in New York by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Irish population in New York totals 2.1 million. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Suffolk County leading at 247,902, followed by Nassau County (168,059) and Erie County (146,534). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in New York 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 New York

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  • 1
    Suffolk County
    Irish population in Suffolk County is 247,902
    16.25% of Suffolk County population is Irish
  • 2
    Nassau County
    Irish population in Nassau County is 168,059
    12.11% of Nassau County population is Irish
  • 3
    Erie County
    Irish population in Erie County is 146,534
    15.42% of Erie County population is Irish
  • 4
    New York County
    Irish population in New York County is 115,946
    7.12% of New York County population is Irish
  • 5
    Westchester County
    Irish population in Westchester County is 107,820
    10.82% of Westchester County population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in New York

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show New York contains 2.1 million Irish residents (10.6% of 19.9 million total state population), positioning the state at the 97th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Irish population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate New York's Irish population of 10.6% exceeds the national average of 9.4% by a factor of 1.1.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show New York hosts 2.1 million Irish residents, representing 6.7% 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 document New York with 44.6 Irish Americans per square mile, exactly five times the national average density of 8.8 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
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62 Counties in New York Ranked by Irish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Irish populations across every county in New York, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Suffolk 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 New York ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
County
Irish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total New York Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Suffolk County 247,902 16.25% 11.80%
2 Nassau County 168,059 12.11% 8.00%
3 Erie County 146,534 15.42% 6.98%
4 New York County 115,946 7.12% 5.52%
5 Westchester County 107,820 10.82% 5.13%
6 Monroe County 105,363 13.97% 5.02%
7 Kings County 102,861 3.89% 4.90%
8 87,075 3.74% 4.15%
9 85,041 18.03% 4.05%
10 62,648 19.86% 2.98%
11 53,793 13.32% 2.56%
12 53,783 22.69% 2.56%
13 52,827 17.78% 2.51%
14 45,508 9.24% 2.17%
15 38,191 23.82% 1.82%
16 35,361 10.43% 1.68%
17 34,533 17.46% 1.64%
18 33,130 18.19% 1.58%
19 33,099 14.41% 1.58%
20 32,578 15.41% 1.55%
21 25,221 15.80% 1.20%
22 25,070 1.77% 1.19%
23 21,506 18.23% 1.02%
24 19,295 16.62% 0.92%
25 19,229 17.11% 0.92%
26 17,805 18.17% 0.85%
27 15,915 21.09% 0.76%
28 15,407 12.20% 0.73%
29 15,230 14.13% 0.73%
30 14,972 16.09% 0.71%
31 13,566 20.69% 0.65%
32 12,936 12.57% 0.62%
33 12,922 15.61% 0.62%
34 12,597 13.82% 0.60%
35 12,560 16.42% 0.60%
36 12,043 15.25% 0.57%
37 11,956 19.64% 0.57%
38 11,743 14.84% 0.56%
39 11,207 16.59% 0.53%
40 11,105 18.53% 0.53%
41 10,394 16.97% 0.49%
42 10,327 16.77% 0.49%
43 9,599 16.57% 0.46%
44 9,111 19.16% 0.43%
45 8,994 15.06% 0.43%
46 8,298 17.25% 0.40%
47 7,914 17.76% 0.38%
48 7,602 16.38% 0.36%
49 7,491 14.19% 0.36%
50 7,304 15.65% 0.35%
51 7,046 14.98% 0.34%
52 6,940 14.75% 0.33%
53 6,816 18.38% 0.32%
54 6,393 15.99% 0.30%
55 5,851 11.83% 0.28%
56 5,409 16.33% 0.26%
57 5,369 13.53% 0.26%
58 5,244 17.49% 0.25%
59 3,852 14.47% 0.18%
60 2,676 15.08% 0.13%
61 2,645 10.74% 0.13%
62 957 18.76% 0.05%
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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 New York 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 New York 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.