St. Patrick’s Day by the Numbers

St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and modern incarnations of the festival typically involve some combination of parades, consuming Irish food and drink, and a whole lot of green. To better understand the financial side of St. Paddy's Day, we collected a variety of statistics breaking down how people tend to celebrate the holiday, how much traditional Irish foods and beverages cost, and more.

Key findings

• Consumers spent $7 billion celebrating St. Patrick's Day last year, spending a little less than $44 per person.
• The average price for a pint of Guinness is $7.89 in 2026.
• The price for corned beef in U.S. grocery stores increased by 22% from 2025 to 2026.
• Around 100,000 tourists visit Ireland each year for the holiday. Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Festival brings in an estimated $50 million to the local economy.

1. St. Patrick's Day is a multi-billion dollar event in the U.S.

American consumers spent at least $7 billion celebrating St. Patrick's Day in each of the last two years. 2024's spending total of $7.2 billion is the current high-water mark for spending on the holiday.

In terms of per-person spending, in 2025, revelers averaged $43.64 each spent on things like food, drinks, and apparel to celebrate. That is nearly a dollar per person less than 2024, when the average amount spent on St. Patrick's Day was $44.40 per person.

Source: National Retail Federation

2. The majority of Americans celebrate the holiday

While early St. Patrick's Day celebrations were limited to Irish citizens and Irish immigrants, the holiday has since become popular with people of many different ethnic backgrounds, and as a result, more than half of the country actively celebrates every year.

2021 was the last year when less than 50% of people celebrated St. Patrick's Day in some form or fashion. In each of the last three years, more than three-in-five Americans have partaken in St. Paddy's festivities.

Source: National Retail Federation

3. Eating and drinking are popular ways to celebrate

There are many ways to honor St. Patrick and celebrate his feast day, with a special Irish-flavored meal among the most popular options.

Outside of wearing green clothes, the most common thing people do to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is to make a special dinner, typically consisting of traditional Irish foods like corned beef, Irish soda bread, potatoes, and more. 30% of people celebrate that way, and another 26% say they go to a bar or restaurant to celebrate, likely enjoying traditional Irish foods while eating out.

Source: National Retail Federation

4. It's a lovely day for a Guinness

One of the most recognizable Irish brands on the planet is Guinness. The company's signature dark stout beer has been brewed since the 1700s, and estimates say that 13 million pints are consumed annually on St. Patrick's Day, more than double the 5.5 million that are consumed on a normal day.

Across the United States, the average price for a pint of Guinness in 2026 is $7.89, though that cost varies greatly from one state to another. The most expensive pints are in California, with an average price tag of $9.75, while the most affordable Guinness in America is in West Virginia, where a pint costs $6.15 on average.

Sources: The Economist, FinanceBuzz analysis of 250 bars across the country

5. Corned beef costs have surged in the last year

Corned beef is a signature St. Patrick's Day food, with restaurants and home chefs serving the meat up in hash, sandwiches, and dips every March 17th. Unfortunately for consumers looking to get their fix, doing so comes with a greatly elevated cost compared to a few years ago.

A number of factors, such as low cattle supply and drought, have seen beef prices in general spike in recent years, including corned beef. In 2020, a pound of corned beef cost $3.50 at the grocery store, while in 2026 that same pound of beef comes with a $5.99 price tag, an increase of more than 70% in that time. From 2025 to 2026, corned beef costs jumped by more than 22% year-over-year.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture National Weekly Retail Reports

6. It costs thousands of dollars annually to dye the Chicago River

Chicago is one of America's biggest cities, and it is also home to a unique and beloved St. Patrick's Day tradition: dyeing the Chicago River green. While the exact costs and process behind transforming the waterway running through the heart of the city is a bit of a secret, it is estimated that it costs about $133 per minute to dye the river, bringing the total cost for the 45-minute process to nearly $6,000.

Source: Parade

7. New York City is home to the world's oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parade

The biggest civic celebration of St. Patrick isn't in Ireland, but the Big Apple. The New York City Saint Patrick's Day parade was first held in 1762, just three years after the founding of the Guinness brewery and 14 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

That makes it the oldest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world, and the number of participants and spectators the parade gathers annually also makes it the largest parade of its kind on earth. Around 150,000 people participate in the parade every year, with 2 million people lining the streets of NYC annually to view the spectacle.

Source: NYC Saint Patrick's Day Parade website

8. St. Patrick's Day brings tens of millions of tourism dollars to Ireland

Ireland is the home of St. Patrick's Day, and the Emerald Isle welcomes tens of thousands of visitors looking to celebrate St. Patrick in his homeland every March. Around 100,000 overseas tourists visit Ireland specifically to celebrate St. Patrick's Day every year. Those tourist dollars impact the entire country, but the nation's capital may be the biggest beneficiary, as Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Festival brings in $50 million for the local economy annually.

Sources: Tourism Ireland, GlobalEdge

Tips for saving while celebrating St. Patrick's Day

There are plenty of ways to celebrate this St. Paddy's Day, and just as many ways to save money while doing so.

• Travel to Ireland and get rewarded. While St. Patrick's celebrations can be found around the United States, for anyone looking to celebrate in the home country of the holiday, using one of the best travel cards is a great way to earn rewards on your way to the Emerald Isle.
• Earn points while eating out. For those looking to stay a little closer to home this March 17th, a trip to an Irish pub or restaurant can be extra rewarding if you use one of the best credit cards for dining to maximize the points earned on your St. Patrick's Day feast.

Sources

1. National Retail Federation St. Patrick's Day Insights
2. FinanceBuzz — The Cost of a Pint of Guinness in Every State
3. The Economist — Why everyone is harping on about Guinness
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture Weekly Retail Activity Reports
5. Parade — Color Us Surprised! Learn Exactly How the Chicago River Turns Green for St. Patrick's Day
6. About the NYT Saint Patrick's Day Parade
7. Tourism Ireland
8. GlobalEdge — The business of St. Patrick's Day: From feast to global phenomenon

2026 Award Winner Best Overall Cash Back Credit Card

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

Benefits Card Details

• Low spend threshold for its welcome offer — $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
• Cell phone protection benefit (subject to a $25 deductible)
• Can redeem rewards at an ATM for literal cash
• Apply Now

• Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
• Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
• 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
• $0 annual fee.
• No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
• Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Apply Now

on Wells Fargo's secure website

Rates and fees

Read Card Review

Intro Offer

$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

+ -

Why we like it

• If you love earning cash rewards but prefer to avoid the hassle of tracking spending categories, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card could be a good option for you. Card members can earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

• This card also offers a 0% intro APR on qualifying balance transfers and purchases for 12 months from account opening, then 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable. Those looking for straightforward rewards and an introductory APR will likely find value in this card.

• Apply Now