US | Irish America's Most Irish Cities Are ... ... Boston, of course, plus a few surprises By Neal Colgrass Posted Mar 17, 2013 4:14 PM CDT Copied Rory Zampese, center, 5, watches the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston, Sunday, March 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Quick St. Patrick's Day quiz: How many Americans are of Irish descent? Some 22 million say Irish is their "primary ancestry," and 13.5 million more have at least some Irish blood, reports the Huffington Post. That adds up to 35.5 million or 11.6% of Americans—or over five times the total number of people living in Ireland. Next question: Which US metro areas have the most people with primary Irish ancestry? Boston, MA: 20.4% Middlesex County, MA: 16.9% Peabody, MA: 15.8% Albany, NY: 15.6% Syracuse, NY: 15.0% The Post's article is filled with neat stats, including the nation's most Irish-American neighborhood: Breezy Point/Rockaway Point in Queens, NY, at 54.3%. Click for more, including another five metro areas with high Irish ancestry. Read These Next "Admiral Piett" of the Star Wars universe died from COVID. Trump voter who supported mass deportations could be deported herself. Rescuer in floods gets a poignant question. Michael Douglas 'had to stop'—but he's not retired. Report an error