St. Patrick’s Day By The Numbers

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BY THE NUMBERS c. 387: Patrick is born- in Britain, not Ireland, NEW YORK CITY ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE: EACH YEAR, 5.5 MILLION people visit St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. has taken place over 250 TIMES c. 403 At age 16, Patrick is kidnapped and sent to Ireland as a slave. SINCE 1762 THERE ARE OVER 450 CHURCHES named for St. Patrick in the United States. is led by the National Guard's 69th Regiment, c. 409 Patrick escapes. KNOWN AS THE "FIGHTING 69" ST. PATRICK CONSECRATED MORE THAN 350 BISHOPS c. 432 Believing he'd been called to spread the word of God, Patrick returns to Ireland. jePPe* 150 BANDS 2.1-MILES PARADE ROUTE LENGTH 5-6 HOURS DURATION c. 434-435 Patrick sees success converting the Irish to Christianity, reportedly baptizing 12,000 people in a single day near Killala. 150,000-250,000 MARCHERS ePPjeje Late 400s ROUGHLY Patrick dies. 2 MILLION SPECTATORS 40 LBS. of green dye PATRICK are used to turn the CHICAGO RIVER The name given to nearly 650,000 BABIES in the U.S. during the last 100 years green for St. Patrick's Day. OVER 100,000 PEOPLE watch the river change colors. NEARLY 122 MILLION AMERICANS -39% OF THE POPULATION- SAY THEY CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK'S DAY. St. Patrick's Day spending reaches up to $4.14 BILLION. KISS ME I'M IRISH Americans exchange about 8 MILLION St. Patrick's Day cards annually. 83% 34% 31% 25% Wear Make a Attend a Decorate Their Home or Office Green Special Dinner Party PERCENTAGE OF STATE POPULATION <5 10.1-15 >20 WITH IRISH ANCESTRY 5.1-10 15.1-20 LIMERICK, ME ERIN, NY DUBLIN, OH SAINT PATRICK, MO IRELAND, WV CLOVER, SC SHAMROCK, TX Between 1820 and 1930, nearly 4.5 MILLION Irish immigrants arrived in the United States. 34.7 MILLION U.S. RESIDENTS CLAIM IRISH ANCESTRY- THAT'S MORE THAN 7X THE POPULATION OF IRELAND. A COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISTORY.COM AND COLUMN FIVE Sources U.S. Census Bureau, Catholic Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, Social Security Administration, Hallmark, U.S. Postal Service, National Retail Federation, New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, Greenchicagoriver.com, Google Maps, Saintpatrickscathedral.org, Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, 2nd Edition