Mar 17, 2026 - News
New Orleans loves St. Patrick's Day, but it's not very Irish
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Despite the city's big St. Patrick's Day celebrations, only a small share of New Orleanians report Irish ancestry.
The big picture: About 6% of residents say they have Irish roots, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
- The U.S. average is 9.4%, according to 2020-2024 Census data.
- New England and New York have significantly higher numbers, while Southern states are the least Irish.
- Case in point: 6.6% of Louisianans report Irish ancestry compared with 20.6% of residents in New Hampshire.
Zoom in: St. Tammany Parish has the highest concentration of Irish descendants in the state (13.1%), the data shows.
- Jefferson Parish came in at 7.2%.
- St. James Parish is the least Irish at less than 1%.