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.

Yorkville

246 East 90th Street

$3,000 No Fee

1 |

Midtown South

7 East 32nd Street

$2,875 No Fee

Studio |

Central Harlem

211 West 146th Street

$1,895 No Fee

Studio |

Hamilton Heights

1792 Amsterdam Avenue

$2,650 No Fee

2 |

Noho

308 Mott Street

$2,900 No Fee

1 |

Upper West Side

309 West 76th Street

$2,425 No Fee

Studio |

Central Harlem

210 West 133rd Street

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

Central Harlem

217 West 145th Street

$1,950 No Fee

1 |

Kips Bay

150 East 30th Street

$2,695 No Fee

Studio |

Lower East Side

178 Ludlow Street

$2,200 No Fee

Studio |

Inwood

5008 Broadway

$2,500 No Fee

2 |

Manhattan Valley

209 West 104th Street

$2,450 No Fee

Studio |

West Chelsea

400 West 23rd Street

$975,000

1 |

Hamilton Heights

515 West 135th Street

$350,000

3 |

South Harlem

208 West 119th Street

$625,000

2 |

Murray Hill

630 First Avenue

$900,000

1 |

Gramercy Park

201 East 21st Street

$700,000

1 |

Hamilton Heights

345 West 145th Street

$410,000

1 |

Yorkville

400 East 85th Street

$699,000

1 |

Upper East Side

150 East 83rd Street

$425,000

1 |

Washington Heights

834 Riverside Drive

$435,000

1 |

Manhattanville

575 Riverside Drive

$460,000

1 |

Sutton Place

212 East 57th Street

$995,000

2 |

Turtle Bay

345 East 52nd Street

$725,000

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.

Ditmas Park

618 Marlborough Road

$2,395 No Fee

2 |

Bushwick

491 Evergreen Avenue

$2,657 No Fee

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

343 Rutland Road

$2,695 No Fee

2 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

61 Clarkson Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

Brownsville

75 East 95th Street

$1,750 No Fee

1 |

Park Slope

392 1st Street

$2,385 No Fee

1 |

Weeksville

1647 Union Street

$2,398 No Fee

1 |

Flatbush

1697 Nostrand Avenue

$1,700 No Fee

1 |

East Flatbush

290 East 56th Street

$1,500 No Fee

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

930 De Kalb Avenue

$2,600 No Fee

2 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

61 Clarkson Avenue

$2,625 No Fee

1 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

422 1/2 Gates Avenue

$2,440 No Fee

Studio |

Ocean Hill

1325 Herkimer Street

$515,000

1 |

Canarsie

152 East 88th Street

$840,000

6 |

Brighton Beach

40 Brighton 1st Road

$525,000

1 |

Sunset Park

255 50th Street

$799,900

4 |

Marine Park

4209 Quentin Road

$679,000

2 |

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$599,000

1 |

Borough Park

1238 63rd Street

$530,000

1 |

Old Mill Basin

2465 Flatbush Avenue

$165,000

2 |

Brighton Beach

3022 Brighton 1st Street

$925,000

4 |

3.5

Fort Hamilton

351 Marine Avenue

$285,000

1 |

Fort Greene

1 Hanson Place

$850,000

1 |

East New York

572 Jerome Street

$675,000

4 |

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.

Maspeth

61-18 55th Street

$2,500 No Fee

2 |

East Flushing

140-11 Ash Avenue

$1,675 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

30-86 44th Street

$2,395 No Fee

2 |

Forest Hills

72-35 112th Street

$2,200 No Fee

Studio |

Forest Hills

71-11 Yellowston Boulevard

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

Kew Gardens

84-16 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,500 No Fee

2 |

1.5

Jamaica

169-04 88th Avenue

$1,650 No Fee

Studio |

Astoria

30-75 44th Street

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

Kew Gardens

83-64 Talbot Street

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

Sunnyside

43-17 48th Street

$2,100 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

31-67 37th Street

$2,299 No Fee

1 |

Woodhaven

84-25 85 Road

$1,850 No Fee

Studio |

Sunnyside

39-30 52nd Street

$370,000

1 |

Rego Park

97-37 63 Road

$425,000

2 |

Glen Oaks

269 Grand Central Parkway

$579,000

1 |

1.5

Glen Oaks

269 Grand Central Parkway

$299,000

1 |

Glen Oaks

270-10 Grand Central Parkway

$595,000

1 |

1.5

Glen Oaks

270-10 Grand Central Parkway

$249,000

1 |

Glen Oaks

27010 Grand Central Parkway

$439,000

1 |

1.5

Forest Hills

67-38 108th Street

$269,000

1 |

Astoria

31-19 29th Street

$660,000

1 |

Forest Hills

68-20 Burns Street

$595,000

3 |

Astoria

25-40 Shore Boulevard

$725,000

1 |

Clearview

157-60 17 Road

$348,000

2 |

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

305 Nelson Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

Studio |

Saint George

4 Nicholas Street

$2,300 No Fee

2 |

Grasmere

133 Fayette Avenue

$1,350 No Fee

Studio |

Willowbrook

17 Eton Place

$3,500 No Fee

3 |

Westerleigh

116 North Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

Saint George

36 Hamilton Avenue

$1,650 No Fee

1 |

Saint George

36 Hamilton Avenue

$1,975 No Fee

2 |

Saint George

53 Montgomery Avenue

$2,375 No Fee

Studio |

Grasmere

133 Fayette Avenue

$1,500 No Fee

1 |

Grymes Hill

225 Arlo Road

$2,550 No Fee

3 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,700 No Fee

1 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$4,000 No Fee

2 |

Mariners Harbor

128 Lake Avenue

$499,000

4 |

Todt Hill

426 Wooddale Avenue

$1,450,000

4 |

Castleton Corners

160 Todt Hill Road

$998,000

6 |

2.5

Rosebank

39 Reynolds Street

$739,000

3 |

Shore Acres

9 Maryland Lane

$640,000

2 |

2.5

Great Kills

7 Waterside Parkway

$649,000

3 |

Bulls Head

66 Forest Street

$799,888

3 |

1.5

Todt Hill

179 Mason Street

$1,300,000

4 |

3.5

Princes Bay

18 Cooper Place

$1,588,888

6 |

South Beach

14 Guilford Street

$649,000

3 |

Huguenot

211 Dover Green

$699,999

3 |

Graniteville

223 Hillman Avenue

$1,099,000

4 |

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.