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.

Central Harlem

318 West 138th Street

$2,950 base rent

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

802 Ninth Avenue

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

482 East 74th Street

$2,900 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

304 West 151st Street

$2,695 base rent

3 |

Kips Bay

142 East 27th Street

$2,950 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

40 West 135th Street

$2,723 base rent

1 |

Yorkville

303 East 95th Street

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

Upper West Side

173 West 88th Street

$2,395 base rent

Studio |

Hell’s Kitchen

460 West 49th Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Lower East Side

186 Orchard Street

$2,595 base rent

Studio |

Hamilton Heights

536 West 142nd Street

$2,750 base rent

2 |

East Village

638 East 14th Street

$2,995 base rent

1 |

Midtown South

372 Fifth Avenue

$925,000

1 |

Flatiron

254 Park Avenue South

$999,000

1 |

Yorkville

446 East 86th Street

$399,000

1 |

Central Harlem

370 Lenox Avenue

$625,000

1 |

Inwood

1793 Riverside Drive

$420,000

1 |

Upper West Side

760 West End Avenue

$895,000

2 |

Inwood

50 Park Terrace East

$750,000

2 |

Washington Heights

1993 Amsterdam Avenue

$225,000

2 |

Lower East Side

237 Eldridge Street

$495,000

1 |

Upper West Side

263 West End Avenue

$765,000

1 |

Murray Hill

288 Lexington Avenue

$619,000

1 |

Chelsea

220 West 15th Street

$795,000

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.

Williamsburg

101 Jackson Street

$2,200 base rent

Studio |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

183 Pulaski Street

$1,950 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

358 East 28th Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

215 Lenox Road

$2,450 base rent

Studio |

Ocean Hill

197 Hull Street

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Brownsville

425 East 96th Street

$2,199 base rent

1 |

Crown Heights

274 Albany Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Crown Heights

1162 Sterling Place

$2,250 base rent

Studio |

Stuyvesant Heights

70 Patchen Avenue

$2,404 base rent

1 |

Midwood

2010 Ocean Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Kensington

140 Ocean Parkway

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Bushwick

1801 Broadway

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Gerritsen Beach

57 Dictum Court

$769,000

3 |

Prospect Heights

382 Prospect Place

$739,000

2 |

Prospect Park South

15 East 19th Street

$575,000

1 |

Canarsie

754 East 86th Street

$849,999

6 |

Homecrest

2922 Nostrand Avenue

$207,000

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

625 New York Avenue

$795,000

1 |

Bensonhurst

8320 Bay Parkway

$325,000

1 |

Clinton Hill

531 Vanderbilt Avenue

$798,000

1 |

East Flatbush

451 East 49th Street

$770,000

3 |

1.5

Kensington

135 Ocean Parkway

$630,000

1 |

Gravesend

2310 Ocean Parkway

$399,900

2 |

Park Slope

418 17th Street

$700,000

1 |

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.

Astoria

30-40 21st Street

$3,250 base rent

1 |

Astoria

44-09 25th Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Forest Hills

88-25 69th Avenue

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Rego Park

66-20 Wetherole Street

$2,295 base rent

1 |

Maspeth

59-15 Maspeth Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-57 118th Street

$2,399 base rent

Studio |

Glendale

74-23 64 Lane

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Jackson Heights

90-10 34th Avenue

$1,999 base rent

1 |

Flushing

37-33 College Point Boulevard

$2,150 base rent

1 |

Far Rockaway

29-32 Beach Channel Drive

$2,100 base rent

2 |

Kew Gardens Hills

147-44 69 Road

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-43 118th Street

$2,329 base rent

2 |

Arverne

457 Beach 66th Street

$499,000

3 |

Bay Terrace (Queens)

18-15 215th Street

$574,989

3 |

Rego Park

63-60 102nd Street

$495,000

1 |

Rego Park

61-40 Saunders Street

$249,000

1 |

Rego Park

99-60 63 Road

$349,000

2 |

Elmhurst

78-36 46th Avenue

$575,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

32-40 91st Street

$315,000

2 |

Beechhurst

9-20 166th Street

$420,000

2 |

Bay Terrace (Queens)

18-70 211st Street

$298,000

1 |

Woodside

39-65 52nd Street

$348,000

1 |

Laurelton

135-15 220 Place

$685,000

4 |

Astoria

14-23 31st Avenue

$399,000

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.

Saint George

50 Montgomery Avenue

$2,700 base rent

2 |

South Beach

16 Palisade Street

$1,700 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,799 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$3,691 base rent

2 |

Saint George

36 Hamilton Avenue

$1,750 base rent

1 |

Saint George

43 Benziger Avenue

$3,000 base rent

2 |

1.5

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$2,668 base rent

Studio |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

South Beach

31 Jackson Avenue

$2,850 base rent

3 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,208 base rent

1 |

New Dorp Beach

48C Winham Avenue

$1,500 base rent

Studio |

West Brighton

869 Forest Avenue

$1,599 base rent

1 |

Clifton

66 Irving Place

$800,000

5 |

Stapleton

929 West Fingerboard Road

$825,000

3 |

Dongan Hills

107 Liberty Avenue

$749,999

3 |

Graniteville

204 Sommer Avenue

$825,000

3 |

1.5

Sunnyside (Staten Island)

71 Grand Avenue

$1,495,000

5 |

3.5

Eltingville

94 Getz Avenue

$895,000

3 |

2.5

Bay Terrace

43 Cranford Street

$950,000

6 |

2.5

Port Richmond

49 Llewellyn Place

$950,000

4 |

Saint George

10 Bay Street Landing

$559,000

2 |

Rossville

1089 Sheldon Avenue

$880,000

3 |

2.5

Park Hill

43 Pierce Street

$530,000

2 |

1.5

Silver Lake

59 Fairway Lane

$1,550,000

5 |

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.