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.

Lenox Hill

200 East 61st Street

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Upper West Side

710 West End Avenue

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Fort George

19 Bogardus Place

$1,915 base rent

1 |

Lenox Hill

348 East 66th Street

$2,795 base rent

1 |

Lower East Side

148 Orchard Street

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

1488 First Avenue

$2,380 base rent

Studio |

Sutton Place

40 Sutton Place

$2,650 base rent

Studio |

Hamilton Heights

94 Hamilton Place

$2,395 base rent

1 |

Lenox Hill

1420 York Avenue

$2,850 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

412 East 73rd Street

$2,675 base rent

1 |

Soho

132 Thompson Street

$2,895 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

110 East 61st Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

416 West 52nd Street

$799,000

1 |

Kips Bay

330 Third Avenue

$650,000

1 |

Manhattan Valley

300 Cathedral Parkway

$875,000

2 |

1.5

Hamilton Heights

94 Hamilton Place

$299,900

1 |

Turtle Bay

145 East 48th Street

$829,000

1 |

Yorkville

531 East 83rd Street

$599,000

2 |

Greenwich Village

77 Bleecker Street

$899,000

1 |

Murray Hill

320 East 35th Street

$479,000

1 |

Inwood

1825 Riverside Drive

$800,000

4 |

Central Harlem

108 West 138th Street

$714,000

2 |

Fort George

140 Hillside Avenue

$850,000

2 |

Fort George

140 Hillside Avenue

$535,000

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.

Bedford-Stuyvesant

485 Tompkins Avenue

$2,079 base rent

Studio |

Fort Greene

301 Cumberland Street

$2,675 base rent

Studio |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

227 Clarkson Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

1217 Nostrand Avenue

$2,495 base rent

2 |

Gravesend

2213 Cropsey Avenue

$2,100 base rent

1 |

East Flatbush

1634 Flatbush Avenue

$2,414 base rent

1 |

Sunset Park

246 51st Street

$2,200 base rent

2 |

Park Slope

57 Fifth Avenue

$2,400 base rent

Studio |

Crown Heights

1556 Atlantic Avenue

$2,600 base rent

2 |

East Flatbush

1655 Flatbush Avenue

$2,550 base rent

1 |

Bushwick

1209 Dekalb Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Boerum Hill

302 Atlantic Avenue

$2,671 base rent

1 |

Wingate

537 Brooklyn Avenue

$545,000

1 |

Wingate

537 Brooklyn Avenue

$905,000

2 |

Wingate

537 Brooklyn Avenue

$535,000

1 |

Sunset Park

4006 Seventh Avenue

$599,000

2 |

Brighton Beach

3015 Brighton 6th Street

$699,000

3 |

Cypress Hills

34 Crosby Avenue

$859,999

3 |

2.5

Homecrest

2285 Bragg Street

$195,000

1 |

Brighton Beach

2833 Ocean Parkway

$529,000

1 |

Sheepshead Bay

3903 Nostrand Avenue

$249,000

1 |

Homecrest

2240 Burnett Street

$349,000

2 |

Homecrest

2375 Ocean Avenue

$588,000

2 |

Bushwick

1027 Bushwick Avenue

$895,000

2 |

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.

Ditmars-Steinway

22-44 35th Street

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Astoria

25-95 45th Street

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens Hills

72-30 Kissena Boulevard

$2,200 base rent

2 |

Forest Hills

111-55 77th Avenue

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Maspeth

55-15 Metropolitan Avenue

$2,300 base rent

2 |

Astoria

25-83 38th Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Briarwood

142-35 84 Drive

$1,750 base rent

Studio |

Astoria

31-63 34th Street

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

41-45 149th Street

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Astoria

34-50 30th Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Richmond Hill

85-14 114th Street

$1,988 base rent

1 |

Briarwood

139-05 85 Drive

$1,950 base rent

1 |

Maspeth

60-30 56 Drive

$695,000

3 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

150-02 Northern Boulevard

$703,050

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

150-02 Northern Boulevard

$622,500

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

150-02 Northern Boulevard

$635,100

1 |

Elmhurst

85-10 Elmhurst Avenue

$699,000

2 |

Rego Park

99-63 66th Avenue

$274,000

1 |

Elmhurst

44-10 Mac Nish Street

$299,000

1 |

Forest Hills

106-20 70th Avenue

$699,000

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-55 Lefferts Boulevard

$199,000

1 |

Oakland Gardens

218-02 73rd Avenue

$349,000

2 |

South Jamaica

153-02 Foch Boulevard

$629,000

3 |

Ozone Park

97-38 Bristol Avenue

$750,000

2 |

2.5

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.

West Brighton

869 Forest Avenue

$1,599 base rent

1 |

Tottenville

153 Bentley Street

$3,300 base rent

3 |

Clifton

273 Gordon Street

$3,811 base rent

3 |

West Brighton

607 Delafield Avenue

$3,300 base rent

3 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,643 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,810 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,457 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,231 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,257 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,285 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,214 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,929 base rent

2 |

Westerleigh

299 Saint John Avenue

$619,000

4 |

New Dorp Beach

44 Finley Avenue

$829,000

3 |

1.5

Tottenville

5272 Arthur Kill Road

$750,000

4 |

2.5

Tompkinsville

99 Stanley Avenue

$899,000

5 |

Graniteville

35 Melissa Street

$449,999

2 |

1.5

Huguenot

735 Woodrow Road

$1,399,000

5 |

4.5

Rosebank

39 Reynolds Street

$649,000

3 |

Graniteville

60 Parkview Loop

$548,888

3 |

2.5

Mariners Harbor

42 Post Lane

$330,000

2 |

1.5

Grymes Hill

142 Bertha Place

$2,500,000

4 |

3.5

South Beach

26 Andrews Street

$950,000

5 |

Arrochar

987 Hylan Boulevard

$949,000

5 |

2.5

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.