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.

Sutton Place

336 East 55th Street

$2,850 base rent

1 |

Upper West Side

315 West 77th Street

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

Washington Heights

27 Audubon Avenue

$2,350 base rent

2 |

South Harlem

1295 5th Avenue

$2,971 base rent

1 |

Central Harlem

66 East 127th Street

$2,650 base rent

1 |

1.5

Lenox Hill

219 East 76th Street

$2,429 base rent

Studio |

Fort George

4568 Broadway

$2,902 base rent

1 |

Yorkville

450-452 East 81st Street

$2,895 base rent

1 |

Central Harlem

70 West 139th Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Central Harlem

2035 Fifth Avenue

$2,862 base rent

Studio |

East Harlem

234 East 106th Street

$2,600 base rent

3 |

Hudson Yards

508 Ninth Avenue

$2,700 base rent

1 |

Lincoln Square

185 West End Avenue

$899,000

1 |

Central Harlem

370 Lenox Avenue

$625,000

1 |

Murray Hill

67 Park Avenue

$799,000

1 |

1.5

Midtown

111 East 56th Street

$1,000,000

2 |

Inwood

100 Park Terrace West

$450,000

1 |

Hamilton Heights

523 West 143rd Street

$650,000

3 |

1.5

Morningside Heights

90 La Salle Street

$300,000

1 |

Lower East Side

475 FDR Drive

$839,000

2 |

Yorkville

444 East 87th Street

$459,000

1 |

Manhattan Valley

410 Central Park West

$575,000

1 |

Financial District

56 Pine Street

$599,000

1 |

Fort George

140 Hillside Avenue

$500,000

1 |

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.

Brownsville

24 East 91st Street

$1,650 base rent

2 |

East New York

545 Hinsdale Street

$2,600 base rent

2 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

271 Clarkson Avenue

$2,200 base rent

Studio |

Fort Hamilton

2 Marine Avenue

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

284 Clarkson Avenue

$2,200 base rent

Studio |

Bushwick

115 Moffat Street

$2,650 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

152 Lenox Road

$2,430 base rent

2 |

East Flatbush

1595 New York Avenue

$2,650 base rent

2 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

837 Bedford Avenue

$2,350 base rent

1 |

Weeksville

1620 Prospect Place

$2,437 base rent

1 |

Gravesend

2301 Benson Avenue

$1,795 base rent

1 |

Brighton Beach

2911 Brighton 5th Street

$2,395 base rent

1 |

Flatlands

1358 East 57th Street

$749,000

2 |

2.5

New Lots

989 Schenck Avenue

$578,000

3 |

1.5

Marine Park

1817 East 37th Street

$778,000

3 |

1.5

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$858,000

2 |

Bay Ridge

7101 Colonial Road

$359,000

1 |

1.5

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$858,000

2 |

Gravesend

2286 Cropsey Avenue

$850,000

2 |

Prospect Park South

608 Ocean Avenue

$570,000

1 |

Coney Island

2930 West 5th Street

$299,000

1 |

Coney Island

2930 West 5th Street

$510,000

2 |

1.5

Gravesend

2286 Cropsey Avenue

$683,000

1 |

Cypress Hills

211 Sunnyside Avenue

$874,888

6 |

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.

Jamaica

88-36 139th Street

$2,414 base rent

Studio |

Jackson Heights

32-02 75th Street

$2,399 base rent

2 |

Rockaway Park

117-12 Ocean Pm

$1,600 base rent

Studio |

Corona

97-15 Horace Harding Expressway

$1,971 base rent

Studio |

Elmhurst

42-25 80th Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Far Rockaway

20-51 Seagirt Boulevard

$2,166 base rent

1 |

Far Rockaway

20-12 Seagirt Boulevard

$1,818 base rent

Studio |

Far Rockaway

20-27 Seagirt Boulevard

$2,166 base rent

1 |

Jamaica

87-87 171st Street

$2,010 base rent

1 |

Astoria

32-37 33rd Street

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Jamaica Estates

177-30 Wexford Terrace

$2,475 base rent

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

149-35 Northern Boulevard

$2,150 base rent

1 |

Bay Terrace (Queens)

209-80 18th Avenue

$298,000

3 |

Rego Park

99-63 66th Avenue

$349,000

2 |

Forest Hills

61-20 Grand Central Parkway

$289,000

1 |

Oakland Gardens

219-06 64th Avenue

$569,000

3 |

Astoria

21-20 33 Road

$379,999

1 |

Forest Hills

111-22 66th Avenue

$220,000

1 |

Rego Park

74-45 Yellowstone Boulevard

$425,000

2 |

1.5

Laurelton

130-57 233rd Street

$670,000

4 |

Jamaica

111-20 145th Street

$629,000

3 |

Forest Hills

110-07 73 Road

$375,000

1 |

Bay Terrace (Queens)

23-55 Bell Boulevard

$548,000

3 |

Oakland Gardens

73-63 Bell Boulevard

$289,000

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.

Great Kills

251A Katan Avenue

$2,599 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,584 base rent

1 |

Dongan Hills

192 Raritan Avenue

$2,800 base rent

3 |

Mariners Harbor

3 Lockman Place

$3,811 base rent

3 |

Saint George

138 Hendricks Avenue

$4,000 base rent

4 |

Travis

4004 Victory Boulevard

$3,140 base rent

3 |

South Beach

16 Palisade Street

$1,700 base rent

1 |

Tottenville

203 Main Street

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,354 base rent

Studio |

Woodrow

548 Marcy Avenue

$1,650 base rent

1 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,800 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,310 base rent

1 |

Westerleigh

157 Chandler Avenue

$688,000

3 |

1.5

Mariners Harbor

18 Albert Court

$949,000

6 |

Travis

171 Burke Avenue

$550,000

1 |

Dongan Hills

306 Cromwell Avenue

$775,000

3 |

New Dorp Beach

224 Mill Road

$725,000

3 |

1.5

Stapleton

22 Grove Street

$470,000

3 |

Graniteville

50 Caswell Lane

$525,000

2 |

1.5

Grymes Hill

124 Bertha Place

$1,999,000

5 |

4.5

Pleasant Plains

16 Carolyn Court

$1,588,000

4 |

2.5

Huguenot

112 Hampton Green

$635,000

3 |

1.5

Port Richmond

65 Floyd Street

$650,000

3 |

West Brighton

45 Winegar Lane

$599,000

3 |

3.5

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.