How Irish is your state?

Irish fans unfurl their national flag ahead of the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Ireland and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday,…

Irish fans unfurl their national flag ahead of the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Ireland and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

by: Addy Bink

Posted: Mar 17, 2021 / 06:50 AM MDT

Updated: Mar 17, 2021 / 08:41 AM MDT

(ABC4) – Did you know 20% of American’s claim Irish ancestry? That’s more than 31.5 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Irish heritage is second only to German heritage in the U.S. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, even our presidents largely represent an Irish heritage – exactly half of our presidents, 23, trace some of their roots to Ireland. That includes current President Joe Biden.

These five states have the most residents of Irish descent:

California
New York
Pennsylvania
Florida
Texas

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that while these states have “the most smiling Irish eyes,” none of them have the highest percentage of people with Irish ancestry.

Those fives states are:

New Hampshire: 20.2%
Massachusetts: 19.8%
Rhode Island: 17.6%
Vermont: 17%
Maine: 16.6%

Below is an interactive map, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, all 3,142 counties in the U.S. have residents with Irish ancestry.

Zions Bank recently released a map that outlines the claimed Irish ancestry by county in Utah. In total, residents tracing their roots back to Ireland make up just under 7% of Utah’s total population.

The most Irish county in Utah, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, is Grand County at 17.9% while Rich County is the least Irish at 2.5%.

Utah’s top Irish counties are: