How Irish Is Delco? Very Irish, Census Data Shows

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — St. Patrick's Day is nearly here.

And around this time every year, Americans embrace all things Irish.

But claiming Irish ancestry is often done erroneously.

Not so much in Delaware County, however.

Census data shows Delaware County's population with Irish ancestry is among the state's highest.

According to the Census Bureau, ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, "roots," or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States.

In fact, Delco is the second most Irish county in all of Pennsylvania.

According to Census data, Delaware County is 24 percent Irish.

Data shows roughly an Irish population of about 135,420 in Delco.

Nearby, Bucks County's Irish ancestry percentage is 23.9, Chester County 21.2, Montgomery County 20.3, Bucks County 23.9, and Philadelphia 10.1.

Can you guess the county with the highest Irish population?

We're going to add a few lines here to keep you guessing.

But many Pennsylvanians know this city's Irish population is quite high, giving its county the No. 1 spot for Irish ancestry.

In Lackawanna County, the Irish population is 25.2 percent, largely due to Scranton's Irish contingency.

Previous Census data showed Scranton itself has a 26.5 percent Irish population.

Overall, Pennsylvania is home to about 1.9 million Irish people with Irish ancestry, about 15.5 percent of the total population.