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

The Irish population in Washington County, OR is recorded at 54,474 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Washington County, OR 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 Washington County, OR and comparable counties throughout Oregon.

Top 5 cities with the largest Irish population in Washington County

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  • 1
    Beaverton
    Irish population in Beaverton is 9,143
    9.38% of Beaverton population is Irish
  • 2
    Hillsboro
    Irish population in Hillsboro is 8,290
    7.74% of Hillsboro population is Irish
  • 3
    Tigard
    Irish population in Tigard is 5,600
    10.11% of Tigard population is Irish
  • 4
    Tualatin
    Irish population in Tualatin is 3,296
    11.89% of Tualatin population is Irish
  • 5
    Forest Grove
    Irish population in Forest Grove is 2,123
    8.04% of Forest Grove population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in Washington County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Washington County contains 54,474 Irish residents (9.1% of 600,266 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 95th percentile nationally among counties and 94th percentile within Oregon for Irish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Washington County's Irish population of 9.1% remains below Oregon's state average of 10.9% 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 Washington County's 54,474 Irish residents constitute 11.8% of Oregon's total Irish population of 461,857, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 11.8% of all Oregon Irish Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Washington County maintains 75.2 Irish Americans per square mile, representing more than fifteen times Oregon's average of 4.8 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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12 Cities in Washington 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 Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, and Tualatin. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 12 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Washington County, OR ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
City
Irish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Washington County Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Beaverton 9,143 9.38% 16.78%
2 Hillsboro 8,290 7.74% 15.22%
3 Tigard 5,600 10.11% 10.28%
4 Tualatin 3,296 11.89% 6.05%
5 Forest Grove 2,123 8.04% 3.90%
6 Sherwood 2,121 10.49% 3.89%
7 Cornelius 791 5.77% 1.45%
8 481 9.47% 0.88%
9 477 14.06% 0.88%
10 243 11.62% 0.45%
11 132 6.91% 0.24%
12 29 4.25% 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 city in Washington 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 Washington 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.