Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but which cities are the greenest of all? To mark Irish American Heritage Month and St. Patrick’s Day, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Most Irish Cities in America. The data focuses on the 200 largest cities in the U.S. and not only considers population size, but also cultural landmarks such as Irish restaurants and pubs, Irish dance schools, cultural centers and networking associations.
Rankings:
2022’s Most Irish U.S. Cities:
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Naperville, Illinois
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Denver, Colorado
- Spokane, Washington
- Syracuse, New York
- Worcester, Massachusetts
2022’s Least Irish U.S. Cities:
- Salinas, California
- Moreno Valley, California
- Pomona, California
- Miramar, Florida
- Paterson, New Jersey
- Newark, New Jersey
- Santa Ana, California
- Brownsville, Texas
- Laredo, Texas
- Hialeah, Florida
Key findings:
- Boston continues to rank as the No. 1 Irish city. The Irish masses started arriving in Massachusetts after a blight hit the Emerald Isle’s potato crop in 1845. Today, Irish Americans make up over 20% of the metro area’s population, nearly 1 million in total. (Green) Bean Town traditionally holds huge Celtic celebrations, including the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. You’ll also find plenty of restaurants and pubs where the Guinness is flowing and big screens featuring the latest Irish soccer game.
- Chicago dances to the No. 2 spot for holding the most Irish community events, 143 total. That’s nearly 3x as many as in New York, the city with the second-highest number. Of course, Chicago’s events calendar wouldn’t be complete without Irish step-dancing classes. The Windy City also gets points for its green spirit. Few other cities dye their rivers green for St. Paddy’s Day.
- The Big (Green) Apple ranks No. 3, no surprise since New York holds the country’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Expect to see a six-hour-long line of Irish dancers, bagpipers and jugglers.
Other big cities parading their Irish heritage include Philadelphia at No. 6 (its parade is the second oldest in the country) and Denver at No. 7, with a parade that lasts five hours.
