Irish-born in US among oldest, least poor

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Irish-born residents of the US are among the oldest immigrant groups, and least likely to be poor, according to a survey released by the US Census Bureau. The study examined demographic profiles of the 38.1 million foreign-born population in the US. In 2000, 269,831 of those were Irish.

The report found that the oldest foreign born populations tend to be from Europe, with those born in Hungary (64 years) and Italy (63.1 years) having the oldest median ages. Those from Greece, Germany and Ireland have median ages of about 60. The median age for the US population as a whole is 36.7, while the total foreign-born population has a median age of 40.2.

Immigrants from Ireland have a poverty rate of only 5%; those from Ireland and the Netherlands were the least likely to be poor. In contrast, 51% of Somali residents live in poverty, along with about a quarter of those born in Iraq, the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mexicio.

In a separate study, the bureau has found that 12% of all Americans report Irish ancestry, or a total of 36 million in 2007.

In researching this information, I was surprised to find that the Irish don’t even make it into a list of the top 25 countries of birth for immigrants in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as evidenced by this graphic on the New York Times website.

Related web pages:

• US Census Press Release: Census Bureau Data Show Characteristics of the US Foreign-Born Population
• Fact sheet on the Irish population group using 2000 Census Demographic information

36.5 million US residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

As it does annually, the US Census Bureau has issued its fact sheet in preparation for the observance of Irish-American Heritage Month. Irish-American Heritage Month takes place every March.  In the fact sheet we learn the following statistics:

• 36.5 million US residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007; only Germany can claim more descendants in the US.
• 24% of Massachusetts residents are of Irish ancestry; 12% of the US population is Irish.
• 32% of Irish-American adults over 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree, while 92% have at least a high school diploma. This compares to 28% and 85% for the national average.
• US imports from Ireland totalled $26.2 billion from January to October 2008, while $7.4 billion worth of goods went from the US to Ireland.

See the full press release from the US Census Bureau.
See last year’s Presidential proclamation of Irish-American Heritage Month.