What County Is Manhattan In? Guide to NYC Counties

In most of America, a single county contains multiple cities and towns. But the city of New York is made up of five counties. So what county is Manhattan in? Unsurprisingly, that would be New York County. In fact, each of New York City’s five boroughs corresponds to its own county:

Manhattan = New York County
Brooklyn = Kings County
Queens = Queens County
Staten Island = Richmond County
The Bronx = Bronx County

While there is a centralized government for NYC, each of the boroughs has a certain amount of autonomy. Each also has representation in the city government. They’re recognized as their own counties primarily for judicial/legal reasons. For a deep dive into the geographical history, let’s get to know how each county came to be.

What County Is Manhattan In?
What County Is Brooklyn In?
What County Is Queens In?
What County Is Staten Island In?
What County Is the Bronx In?

What County Is Manhattan In?

When people think of New York City, they typically think of Manhattan. It was the city’s first borough and county. The 23-square-mile island was originally given the name “Mannahatta” (meaning “island of many hills”) by the indigenous Lenapes. It was renamed “Nieuw Amsterdam” by the Dutch and then “New York” by the British.

Manhattan quickly became the nation’s center of economic and political power. It was even the first capital of the United States. But in the late 19th century, Chicago began outpacing Manhattan. To stay competitive, Manhattan decided to expand. It incorporated its surrounding counties into the larger municipality of New York City, with itself as New York County. That’s why the answer to “What county is Manhattan in?” isn’t simply “Manhattan.”

The expansion was a smart move. Manhattan has a current population of 1.6 million, which nearly doubles from the influx of daily commuters. It also serves as the center of the US publishing, financial, and theater industries, among others. And it attracts millions of tourists annually — 66.6 million in 2019.

As you’d expect, this is a desirable place to live if you want to be in the center of everything. But it isn’t cheap. According to the StreetEasy Data Dashboard, as of August 2021, the median asking price for a home in Manhattan is $1.4 million. And the median asking rent is $3,100 per month.

Greenwich Village

171 Thompson Street

$2,675 No Fee

Studio |

Kips Bay

320 East 34th Street

$2,700 No Fee

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

446 West 55th Street

$3,000 No Fee

Studio |

Greenwich Village

260 Sixth Avenue

$2,462 No Fee

Studio |

East Village

526 East 11th Street

$2,750 No Fee

1 |

Fort George

9 Thayer Street

$2,150 No Fee

1 |

Fort George

552 West 188th Street

$2,250 No Fee

1 |

East Village

207 East 5th Street

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

Kips Bay

229 East 29th Street

$2,750 No Fee

Studio |

Murray Hill

114 East 39th Street

$2,750 No Fee

1 |

Chelsea

335 West 19th Street

$2,500 No Fee

Studio |

East Harlem

343 East 115th Street

$2,050 No Fee

Studio |

Yorkville

215 East 81st Street

$685,000

1 |

Yorkville

321 East 89th Street

$565,000

1 |

Lenox Hill

360 East 72nd Street

$950,000

1 |

Upper West Side

170 West 85th Street

$390,000

1 |

Lenox Hill

55 East 76th Street

$925,000

2 |

Turtle Bay

225 East 47th Street

$799,999

4 |

Lenox Hill

360 East 72nd Street

$935,000

1 |

Upper West Side

760 West End Avenue

$720,000

2 |

Lenox Hill

135 East 71st Street

$1,000,000

1 |

1.5

Murray Hill

55 Park Avenue

$850,000

2 |

Turtle Bay

310 East 46th Street

$985,000

1 |

East Village

55 Avenue C

$850,000

2 |

What County Is Brooklyn In?

In its early history, Brooklyn was just one of many small villages settled by the Dutch. They called it “Breukelen” after a town in the Netherlands that is likewise situated along a river. When the British took over, they Anglicized the name to “Brooklyn” and consolidated the surrounding villages into Kings County, after King Charles II.

The introduction of ferry service in 1814 allowed Manhattan workers to live in the more affordable Brooklyn and commute. This led to a population boom in Kings County, helping Brooklyn to become the third-largest city in the country by the mid-19th century. The completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 made commuting even easier. So when Manhattan first came courting, Brooklyn was not overly enthusiastic about being incorporated. It eventually joined New York City in 1898.

Today, Brooklyn is the most populous of NYC’s boroughs with 2.59 million residents spread across 69.4 square miles. The median asking rent here is $2,650 as of August 2021, while the median asking sale price is $925,000.

Downtown Brooklyn

204 Livingston Street

$2,465 No Fee

Studio |

Stuyvesant Heights

587 Halsey Street

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

Weeksville

186 Utica Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

Studio |

Weeksville

237 Buffalo Avenue

$2,450 No Fee

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

874 Willoughby Avenue

$2,635 No Fee

Studio |

Midwood

800 Ocean Parkway

$2,600 No Fee

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

375 Lincoln Road

$2,600 No Fee

2 |

Flatbush

361 Ocean Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

Crown Heights

119 Albany Avenue

$2,700 No Fee

1 |

Ditmas Park

615 East 17th Street

$2,395 No Fee

Studio |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

375 Lincoln Road

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

299 Hancock Street

$2,395 No Fee

Studio |

Homecrest

2165 Brigham Street

$279,000

3 |

Marine Park

1919 East 36th Street

$729,000

3 |

1.5

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$550,000

1 |

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$770,000

2 |

Flatbush

2835 Bedford Avenue

$489,000

2 |

Midwood

1287 East 19th Street

$799,000

2 |

Coney Island

2878 West 16th Street

$730,000

3 |

1.5

Williamsburg

152 North 9th Street

$850,000

1 |

East Williamsburg

100 Maspeth Avenue

$799,000

1 |

Gravesend

2235A 84th Street

$940,000

3 |

Gravesend

526 Avenue Z

$628,000

2 |

New Lots

1065 Vermont Street

$499,999

3 |

1.5

What County Is Queens In?

Just as Kings County was named after King Charles II, Queens County was named after his wife, Queen Catherine. But unlike other boroughs, Queens addresses can be tricky. For example, Queens residents typically list their neighborhood on mailing addresses rather than their borough or county name. (So “Astoria, NY,” as opposed to “Queens, NY.” There are multiple theories on how this came to be.

Another quirk is the hyphen in Queens street addresses. (For example, 79-01 35th Avenue.) Here’s an easy decoder: The first number is the nearest cross street. In this case, it’s 79th Street. The second number is how far up the block the building is from that cross street. The “01” in this example indicates that it’s the first building, and likely on the corner. With all that info right in the address itself, it’s virtually impossible to get lost!

That’s a good thing, since Queens is a sprawling 178 square miles — the largest borough by far. It’s home to 2.29 million residents, with a median asking price of $599,999 as of August 2021. The median asking rent is $2,250.

Sunnyside

47-06 46th Street

$2,375 No Fee

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

151-19 34th Avenue

$1,800 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

11-05 30 Road

$2,450 No Fee

Studio |

East Flushing

140-18 Ash Avenue

$1,575 No Fee

Studio |

Auburndale

32-33 204th Street

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

Astoria

25-33 47th Street

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

32-10 33rd Street

$1,830 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

30-46 30th Street

$2,333 No Fee

Studio |

Bayside

53-53 210th Street

$1,800 No Fee

Studio |

Forest Hills

77-54 Austin Street

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

153-17 35th Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

31-11 32nd Street

$2,075 No Fee

1 |

Elmhurst

80-06 47th Avenue

$699,000

1 |

Forest Hills

65-30 108th Street

$298,000

1 |

Queens Village

104-24 210th Street

$699,999

4 |

Forest Hills

4 Dartmouth Street

$499,000

1 |

Sunnyside

47-35 41st Street

$469,998

1 |

Forest Hills

69-45 108th Street

$499,999

1 |

Oakland Gardens

75-05 210th Street

$249,000

1 |

Forest Hills

111-15 75th Avenue

$479,000

1 |

Oakland Gardens

73-62 Bell Boulevard

$269,000

1 |

North Corona

104-27 38th Avenue

$588,000

2 |

Rego Park

99-52 66 Road

$375,000

2 |

Forest Hills

102-30 66 Road

$339,000

1 |

What County Is Staten Island In?

The Dutch called it “Staaten Eylandt,” but the British renamed it “Richmond” after the Duke of Richmond. Because of the continued usage of “Staten Island,” however, the borough was renamed that in 1977. It retains “Richmond” as the borough’s county name.

Fun fact: This 59-square-mile island was the object of a tug of war between New Jersey and New York for nearly 200 years! Each state disputed the other’s jurisdiction over Staten Island’s surrounding waters until the borders were finally settled in 1833. By the late 19th century, the quiet fishing and farming community was in need of substantial infrastructure investments. Thus, residents agreed to consolidate with NYC in 1898 by a margin of 5 to 1.

But that’s not the end of the story. Over the years, the scrappy island with a population of nearly 475,000 often changed its mind. It has tried to secede from NYC multiple times, very nearly succeeding in 1993. The latest attempt was in 2019, but that also came to naught.

Staten Island is extremely affordable compared to other boroughs. The median asking rent here as of August 2021 is $1,950. The median asking sale price is $659,000.

New Springville

198 Wellington Court

$1,600 No Fee

1 |

Grasmere

125 Fayette Avenue

$1,800 No Fee

1 |

Tompkinsville

17 Occident Avenue

$1,675 No Fee

Studio |

Saint George

157 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,396 No Fee

Studio |

Clifton

854 Bay Street

$2,850 No Fee

2 |

South Beach

28 Jackson Avenue

$2,550 No Fee

2 |

Graniteville

318 Caswell Avenue

$3,000 No Fee

2 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,650 No Fee

1 |

Castleton Corners

191 Suffolk Avenue

$1,750 No Fee

1 |

South Beach

290 Lamport Boulevard

$2,800 No Fee

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,221 No Fee

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$2,777 No Fee

1 |

Tottenville

660 Rockaway Street

$1,350,000

3 |

3.5

Lighthouse Hill

83 Meisner Avenue

$1,445,000

4 |

Willowbrook

668 Stewart Avenue

$1,388,888

4 |

Midland Beach

447 Greeley Avenue

$799,000

3 |

1.5

Richmond Valley

260 Richard Avenue

$689,000

3 |

1.5

Castleton Corners

103 Perry Avenue

$1,399,000

6 |

Tottenville

561 Rockaway Street

$1,849,000

4 |

Tompkinsville

490 Van Duzer Street

$810,000

4 |

New Springville

1021 Rockland Avenue

$580,000

3 |

1.5

Bulls Head

117 Gary Place

$875,000

5 |

3.5

Mariners Harbor

64 Wolkoff Lane

$430,000

2 |

Princes Bay

296 Ashland Avenue

$988,888

5 |

What County Is the Bronx In?

Despite a dense population of 1.4 million, the Bronx manages to squeeze in some of the city’s largest swaths of green space. Its 57 square miles contain the New York Botanical Garden and Van Cortlandt Park. It’s also home to iconic destinations like Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo.

The last of the boroughs to join NYC, the Bronx is also the only one that’s not part of an island. It’s named for Jonas Bronck, who established a Dutch settlement in 1639 and amassed a whopping 500 acres. No wonder early residents referred to the area as “Bronck’s Land,” which eventually morphed into “the Bronx.”

But unlike the other boroughs, the Bronx didn’t start out as its own county. NYC began annexing parcels of Westchester County in 1874. By 1898, the boundaries of the Bronx were taking shape. But it was still considered part of New York County until 1912, when it was established on its own as Bronx County.

The first subway connecting Manhattan to the Bronx opened in 1904. Subsequent subway lines allowed for an influx of new residents eager to commute to Manhattan from a more affordable area. The median rent in the Bronx is $2,075 as of August 2021. And the median asking sale price is $479,000, the lowest of all five boroughs.