Does Binghamton Have the Most Irish Ancestry in New York?

Binghamton loves St. Patrick’s Day so much that we hang Irish flags from our lampposts each year, host a huge parade featuring the Mummers from Philadelphia, and virtually all restaurants in town serve everything from bangers and mash to corned beef and cabbage.

But, when it comes to Irish ancestry, does Binghamton have the most Irish heritage in New York?

As St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are observed around the United States, one Upstate New York town can hold claim to having the most Irish ancestry. Although it is not Binghamton, the number of Irish in Binghamton is still impressive.

According to Irish Central, the most Irish place in New York is the town of Pearl River which is located in Rockland County where 52 percent of residents can claim Irish heritage.

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Irish Central looked at New York towns with a population of at least 100,000 people to determine which had the highest concentration of Irish and all of the towns in its top six list are located in the New York City area.

On the other hand, Shane Co. ranked the top 100 most populated cities in the United States to find out which city has the highest percentage of Irish ancestry, and, number one on the top 100 list went to Albany where 21 percent of the population is Irish.

Considering that the Shane Co. list was comprised of large cities and Binghamton is not a very large city, it is definitely impressive that the Irish population in Binghamton is only a few points behind Albany at 18.1 percent or just over 44,000 people!