Irish Population in Virginia by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Irish population in Virginia stands at 774,158. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Fairfax County leading at 105,537, followed by Virginia Beach city (48,157) and Loudoun County (41,132). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in Virginia by their Irish population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Irish population in Virginia

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  • 1
    Fairfax County
    Irish population in Fairfax County is 105,537
    9.22% of Fairfax County population is Irish
  • 2
    Virginia Beach city
    Irish population in Virginia Beach city is 48,157
    10.54% of Virginia Beach city population is Irish
  • 3
    Loudoun County
    Irish population in Loudoun County is 41,132
    9.63% of Loudoun County population is Irish
  • 4
    Prince William County
    Irish population in Prince William County is 36,504
    7.53% of Prince William County population is Irish
  • 5
    Chesapeake city
    Irish population in Chesapeake city is 24,242
    9.65% of Chesapeake city population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in Virginia

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Virginia with 774,158 Irish residents (8.9% of 8.7 million total state population), ranking the state at the 77th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Irish demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Virginia's Irish demographic representation of 8.9% remains below the national average of 9.4%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Virginia hosts 774,158 Irish residents, representing 2.5% 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 indicates Virginia's density of 19.6 Irish Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 8.8 per square mile by two and one-quarter times, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for Irish demographic communities.
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112 Counties in Virginia Ranked by Irish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Irish populations across every county in Virginia, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Fairfax 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 Virginia ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
County
Irish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Virginia Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Fairfax County 105,537 9.22% 13.63%
2 Virginia Beach city 48,157 10.54% 6.22%
3 Loudoun County 41,132 9.63% 5.31%
4 Prince William County 36,504 7.53% 4.72%
5 Chesapeake city 24,242 9.65% 3.13%
6 Richmond city 17,935 7.88% 2.32%
7 Norfolk city 17,239 7.33% 2.23%
8 16,470 10.50% 2.13%
9 12,680 11.15% 1.64%
10 12,259 13.13% 1.58%
11 11,287 10.11% 1.46%
12 11,061 5.99% 1.43%
13 9,520 9.84% 1.23%
14 9,505 9.59% 1.23%
15 9,276 12.55% 1.20%
16 7,916 8.02% 1.02%
17 7,611 9.79% 0.98%
18 7,581 5.52% 0.98%
19 6,128 6.34% 0.79%
20 5,867 6.92% 0.76%
21 5,751 15.46% 0.74%
22 5,557 10.79% 0.72%
23 5,539 13.48% 0.72%
24 5,308 13.61% 0.69%
25 4,814 4.95% 0.62%
26 4,734 8.61% 0.61%
27 4,700 10.53% 0.61%
28 4,640 12.99% 0.60%
29 4,556 8.51% 0.59%
30 4,474 11.20% 0.58%
31 4,257 7.90% 0.55%
32 4,236 9.24% 0.55%
33 4,226 5.33% 0.55%
34 4,085 6.79% 0.53%
35 3,838 6.93% 0.50%
36 3,294 9.72% 0.43%
37 3,240 11.67% 0.42%
38 3,197 7.49% 0.41%
39 3,027 10.82% 0.39%
40 2,935 9.31% 0.38%
41 2,854 5.67% 0.37%
42 2,806 12.43% 0.36%
43 2,702 6.85% 0.35%
44 2,688 10.43% 0.35%
45 2,672 10.92% 0.35%
46 2,630 9.02% 0.34%
47 2,338 6.92% 0.30%
48 2,332 11.18% 0.30%
49 2,306 10.46% 0.30%
50 2,266 8.89% 0.29%
51 2,245 7.59% 0.29%
52 2,239 7.89% 0.29%
53 2,222 7.08% 0.29%
53 2,222 7.87% 0.29%
54 2,127 11.38% 0.27%
55 2,115 14.49% 0.27%
56 2,091 13.88% 0.27%
57 2,053 6.16% 0.27%
58 1,983 10.89% 0.26%
59 1,924 12.36% 0.25%
60 1,829 4.33% 0.24%
61 1,802 5.33% 0.23%
62 1,677 10.10% 0.22%
63 1,626 5.79% 0.21%
64 1,611 5.29% 0.21%
65 1,481 6.24% 0.19%
66 1,475 8.66% 0.19%
67 1,445 8.80% 0.19%
68 1,423 6.30% 0.18%
69 1,414 8.57% 0.18%
70 1,404 9.38% 0.18%
71 1,371 18.48% 0.18%
72 1,300 7.13% 0.17%
73 1,292 9.27% 0.17%
74 1,280 4.99% 0.17%
75 1,270 5.79% 0.16%
76 1,220 16.47% 0.16%
77 1,201 9.94% 0.16%
78 1,199 7.71% 0.15%
79 1,166 9.29% 0.15%
79 1,166 6.48% 0.15%
80 1,160 5.39% 0.15%
81 1,098 10.19% 0.14%
82 1,091 6.20% 0.14%
83 1,074 6.35% 0.14%
84 1,048 6.84% 0.14%
85 1,030 10.57% 0.13%
86 1,028 6.07% 0.13%
87 1,001 7.19% 0.13%
88 863 7.93% 0.11%
89 813 7.09% 0.11%
90 733 3.19% 0.09%
91 706 3.56% 0.09%
92 684 5.65% 0.09%
93 682 6.43% 0.09%
94 630 4.04% 0.08%
95 608 4.48% 0.08%
96 579 6.40% 0.07%
97 555 3.50% 0.07%
98 537 9.47% 0.07%
99 519 4.59% 0.07%
100 513 4.75% 0.07%
101 454 3.79% 0.06%
102 444 6.63% 0.06%
103 429 8.79% 0.06%
104 428 6.47% 0.06%
105 368 10.17% 0.05%
106 335 1.00% 0.04%
107 279 4.26% 0.04%
108 246 3.00% 0.03%
109 167 7.37% 0.02%
110 143 2.54% 0.02%
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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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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.