Do you know the leading U.S. producer of (corned) beef and cabbage? Or the estimated spending on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this year? Find out these and other facts about Irish and Irish-American industry.

Ireland’s industrial production for December 2008 was 13 percent lower than in December 2007, according to Ireland’s Central Statistical Office (CSO). January 2009′s production for manufacturing industries was 0.8 percent lower than in January 2008, according to the CSO. The seasonally adjusted industrial turnover index for manufacturing industries was 0.7 percent lower in the three-month period October-December 2008 when compared with the preceding three-month period.

Ireland’s “Celtic Tiger” economic boom that began in the mid-1990s and slowed in 2001, only to pick back up again in 2003 (“Celtic Tiger 2″), ended last year. The country was said to officially be in recession as of June 24, 2008.

The nation’s steep rise, along with its fast decline, has been no less staggering.

“In just over a generation,” The Heritage Foundation has said, “Ireland has evolved from one of the poorest countries in Western Europe to one of the most successful. It has reversed the persistent emigration of its best and brightest and achieved an enviable reputation as a thriving, knowledge-driven economy.”

in the United States alone, 36.3 million residents claim Irish ancestry (as of 2008) — more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.4 million). Irish was the nation’s second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German. Irish ranks among the top five ancestries in every state except Hawaii and New Mexico. (Sources: 2008 American Community Survey and Ireland CSO)

The following are some other facts and figures you might not have been aware of.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

81%
Percentage of industrial companies in 2005 that were small businesses (-50 employees), or roughly four out of five; the vast majority of small industrial firms were Irish owned (95 percent)
Source: ArticlesBase.com’s Facts About Small Businesses in Ireland During 2008

2/3
Small businesses occupied two-thirds of all people who work in construction. According to the Quarterly National Household Survey (via ArticlesBase.com), there were 253,200 employed in construction in the fourth quarter of 2005; of these, 211,000 indicated they worked in small businesses (-50 employees) while 24,500 indicated they worked in large enterprises (50+ employees)

7th
Ranking within the European Union’s 27 member states for enterprises in industry and selected services sectors with the highest innovation rates
Source: Ireland CSO’s Community Innovation Survey 2004-2006

$26.2 Billion
Value of U.S. imports from Ireland for January to October 2008
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$7.4 Billion
Value of U.S. goods exported to Ireland for January to October 2008

52%
Percentage of the nation’s spuds produced in Idaho and Washington in 2007; potato blight was the proximate cause of the Great Famine, which led to massive emigration from Ireland in the mid-1800s and the resulting diaspora
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

41.5 Billion and 2.6 Billion
Pounds of U.S. beef and cabbage produced, respectively, in 2007 — corned beef and cabbage being a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish

6.8 Billion
Pounds of beef produced in Texas

581 Million
Pounds of cabbage produced in California, followed by New York’s 580 million lbs.

$40 Million
Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2007 for operations with $100,000 or more sales — lime green chrysanthemums often being requested for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations

IRISH-AMERICANS TODAY

32%
Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who have a bachelor’s degree or more education; 92 percent of Irish-Americans in this age group have at least a high school diploma
Source: 2007 American Community Survey

$56,966
Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the $50,740 for all households

39%
Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans, 16 or older, who work in management, professional and related occupations

27%
Percentage of employed Irish-Americans who work in sales and office occupations

15%
Percentage of employed Irish-Americans who work in service occupations

10%
Percentage of employed Irish-Americans who work in production, transportation and material-moving occupations

9%
Percentage of employed Irish-Americans who work in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations

ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPENDING

44.1%
Percentage of people planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, down from 46 percent in 2008, though smaller private parties (16.7 percent) and bar/restaurant celebrations (29.6 percent) will still be popular
National Retail Federation’s 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$3.29 Billion
Total spending expected on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this year

$32.80
Average amount expected to be spent on decorations, food and beverage and festive attire, compared to last year’s $35.04

33%
Percentage of Americans expected to make a special dinner to celebrate the holiday during the recession

21.8%
Percentage of people who said they will decorate their home or office for the holiday

1762
The year the world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place, on March 17 — not in Dublin, Cork or Galway, but in New York City
Source: The History Channel

Wishing you a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day. Sláinte.