St. Patrick’s Day In The U.S. By the Numbers

Every year, more than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed across the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Ireland’s national holiday has become a global celebration with Americans in particular fond of celebrating their inner Irishness. That comes as little surprise given that some 39.6 million people in the U.S. claim Irish heritage, nearly seven times the entire population of Ireland. The most recent census data shows that Boston, Middlesex County and Peabody in Massachusetts are the most Irish American towns in the country. Many other places will don the green this weekend and splash the cash.

The National Retail Federation has forecast that 60 percent of Americans will celebrate this weekend with planned spending expected to reach a record $5.9 billion. On average, that means every person will spend $39.65. Chicago always has an exciting St. Patrick’s Day celebration where the river turns green. 400,000 people are expected to turn out for the long term tradition tomorrow and 60 pounds of dye will be required to turn the river green between Columbus and Wacker drives. Of course, many people will be hoping for a sublime pint of Guinness this weekend and according to the makers themselves, it takes 119.5 seconds to pour the perfect pint. Many others will enjoy a nice glass of Irish whiskey, something that has become increasingly common in the states. Back in 1996, 280,000 cases of Irish whiskey were consumed and that had risen steadily to 3.65 million by 2016.