The Real Cost of Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day: Feelin' Green - Bloomberg

The Real Cost of Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day: Feelin' Green - Bloomberg

Feelin' Green

For many Americans, St. Patrick's Day means wearing green, watching a parade and eating corned beef, followed by a pint or two of Guinness beer. The day -- a religious remembrance of the patron saint's death in the fifth century -- is celebrated by Ireland's nearly 5 million citizens, but with much less fanfare than it is by the nearly 37 million Americans who are of Irish descent, according to Archives.com. In the U.S., adult Americans will spend an average of $38.94 on St. Patrick's Day, or about $4.5 billion, according to research by BigInsight, which tracks consumer spending.