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.

Upper West Side

410 West End Avenue

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Hamilton Heights

401 Convent Avenue

$2,000 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

1446 First Avenue

$2,550 base rent

Studio |

Inwood

70 Post Avenue

$2,395 base rent

1 |

Midtown South

11 East 32nd Street

$2,800 base rent

Studio |

Upper West Side

330 West 85th Street

$2,995 base rent

Studio |

East Harlem

2117 Third Avenue

$2,995 base rent

2 |

Central Harlem

103 West 137th Street

$2,775 base rent

1 |

Inwood

560 West 218th Street

$2,034 base rent

Studio |

East Village

268 East Fourth Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Yorkville

247 East 81st Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Upper West Side

201 West 95th Street

$2,395 base rent

Studio |

Hell’s Kitchen

346 West 48th Street

$525,000

2 |

Hell’s Kitchen

635 West 42nd Street

$849,999

1 |

Turtle Bay

309 East 49th Street

$950,000

1 |

1.5

Chinatown

21 Ludlow Street

$925,000

2 |

Lenox Hill

508 East 78th Street

$400,000

1 |

Sutton Place

300 East 59th Street

$850,000

1 |

Flatiron

10 West 15th Street

$975,000

1 |

Sutton Place

333 East 53rd Street

$600,000

1 |

Morningside Heights

55 Tiemann Place

$850,000

3 |

Turtle Bay

310 East 46th Street

$750,000

1 |

Murray Hill

333 East 34th Street

$649,000

2 |

Chelsea

77 Seventh Avenue

$985,000

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.

Bushwick

347 Linden Street

$2,683 base rent

1 |

East Flatbush

1667 Brooklyn Avenue

$2,399 base rent

Studio |

Stuyvesant Heights

766 Lafayette Avenue

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

Borough Park

4001 New Utrecht Avenue

$2,400 base rent

Studio |

Mapleton

1974 51st Street

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Weeksville

1672 Dean Street

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Bushwick

38 Cooper Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Sunset Park

332 42nd Street

$2,250 base rent

Studio |

East Flatbush

1507 New York Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

East Williamsburg

232 Meserole Street

$2,675 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

1612 New York Avenue

$2,628 base rent

1 |

Homecrest

1830 East 29th Street

$1,949 base rent

1 |

Gerritsen Beach

2844 Gerritsen Avenue

$728,000

3 |

1.5

Homecrest

3105 Avenue V

$245,000

2 |

Midwood

1170 Ocean Parkway

$649,000

2 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

627 De Kalb Avenue

$675,000

1 |

Midwood

902 Ocean Parkway

$289,000

1 |

Crown Heights

72 Clove Road

$810,000

4 |

Sheepshead Bay

1625 Emmons Avenue

$308,888

1 |

Midwood

1350 Ocean Parkway

$489,000

2 |

Brighton Beach

3064 Coney Island Avenue

$875,000

3 |

Gravesend

2574 Stillwell Avenue

$898,000

4 |

Brighton Beach

2963 Ocean Parkway

$418,000

1 |

Brighton Beach

3145 Brighton 4th Street

$389,000

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.

Elmhurst

92-16 Whitney Avenue

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Woodside

41-12 53rd Street

$2,000 base rent

Studio |

Astoria

11-05 30 Road

$2,475 base rent

Studio |

Richmond Hill

85-31 115th Street

$2,100 base rent

2 |

Kew Gardens Hills

75-25 153rd Street

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Fresh Meadows

183-19 64th Avenue

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Astoria

30-64 21st Street

$1,400 base rent

Studio |

Fresh Meadows

185-19 64th Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Jackson Heights

35-15 75th Street

$2,230 base rent

1 |

Jackson Heights

33-33 83rd Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Rego Park

65-04 Booth Street

$2,075 base rent

Studio |

Fresh Meadows

194-05A 67th Avenue

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Rego Park

98-25 64 Road

$339,000

1 |

North Corona

112-26 38th Avenue

$499,999

2 |

Forest Hills

102-32 65th Avenue

$350,000

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

38-25 Parsons Boulevard

$480,000

2 |

Jackson Heights

33-35 81st Street

$320,000

1 |

Lindenwood

155-17 79th Street

$429,000

3 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

37-10 149 Place

$648,000

2 |

Flushing

56-75 136th Street

$708,000

2 |

Sunnyside

44-15 43rd Avenue

$369,000

1 |

Forest Hills

105-25 64th Avenue

$459,900

2 |

East Flushing

40-38 194th Street

$699,000

2 |

Sunnyside

41-42 42nd Street

$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.

South Beach

13 Palisade Street

$1,450 base rent

Studio |

New Springville

190 Wellington Court

$1,600 base rent

1 |

Port Richmond

303 Decker Avenue

$4,500 base rent

4 |

Mariners Harbor

305 Netherland Avenue

$3,500 base rent

3 |

Arrochar

33 Joseph Lane

$3,599 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,344 base rent

Studio |

Dongan Hills

17 Old Town Road

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$2,696 base rent

Studio |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,565 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,254 base rent

1 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,800 base rent

1 |

Sunnyside (Staten Island)

850 Howard Avenue

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Oakwood

27 Windemere Avenue

$1,250,000

3 |

3.5

Rossville

179 Gervil Street

$1,100,000

4 |

Huguenot

163 Bennett Avenue

$1,100,000

5 |

Silver Lake

1000 Clove Road

$208,888

1 |

Silver Lake

22 Putters Court

$1,250,000

4 |

Travis

96 Church Avenue

$658,000

2 |

1.5

Saint George

173 Benziger Avenue

$489,900

6 |

Castleton Corners

4 Knox Place

$1,150,000

3 |

Bulls Head

3295 Victory Boulevard

$1,495,000

8 |

Rossville

29 Wood Court

$659,000

3 |

Graniteville

17 Elson Street

$765,000

3 |

1.5

New Dorp Beach

143 Milton Avenue

$658,888

3 |

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.