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.

Hamilton Heights

294 Convent Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

Lenox Hill

342 East 65th Street

$2,995 No Fee

1 |

Upper West Side

273 West 73rd Street

$2,975 No Fee

1 |

Lenox Hill

322 East 61st Street

$2,895 No Fee

Studio |

Turtle Bay

230 East 52nd Street

$2,900 No Fee

Studio |

Lenox Hill

1018 Lexington Avenue

$2,895 No Fee

Studio |

Murray Hill

5 Tudor City Place

$2,550 No Fee

Studio |

Yorkville

512 East 88th Street

$2,525 No Fee

1 |

Manhattan Valley

4 West 103rd Street

$2,888 No Fee

1 |

Central Harlem

2150 Fifth Avenue

$2,450 No Fee

2 |

East Harlem

175 East 101st Street

$3,000 No Fee

2 |

Murray Hill

241 East 38th Street

$2,800 No Fee

Studio |

Kips Bay

242 East 25th Street

$999,000

2 |

Lower East Side

577 Grand Street

$635,000

1 |

Upper West Side

336 West End Avenue

$775,000

1 |

Turtle Bay

230 East 50th Street

$699,999

2 |

Upper West Side

203 West 87th Street

$779,000

2 |

Midtown

100 West 57th Street

$259,000

1 |

Lenox Hill

55 East 65th Street

$675,000

1 |

Fort George

2440 Amsterdam Avenue

$225,000

1 |

Manhattan Valley

210 West 103rd Street

$625,000

1 |

Chelsea

234 West 20th Street

$995,000

1 |

Hamilton Heights

450 West 147th Street

$695,000

2 |

Washington Heights

70 Haven Avenue

$855,000

3 |

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

1109 Halsey Street

$2,650 No Fee

1 |

Fort Hamilton

1 Oliver Street

$1,800 No Fee

Studio |

Gravesend

64 Bay 41st Street

$2,200 No Fee

2 |

Carroll Gardens

356 Degraw Street

$2,400 No Fee

Studio |

Flatbush

177 Veronica Place

$2,650 No Fee

2 |

Flatbush

2901 Avenue D

$1,850 No Fee

Studio |

Greenwood

662 Fourth Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

Studio |

Flatbush

16 Lenox Road

$2,600 No Fee

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

266 Malcolm X Boulevard

$2,700 No Fee

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

818 Lexington Avenue

$2,575 No Fee

Studio |

Stuyvesant Heights

407 Chauncey Street

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

Cobble Hill

290 Clinton Street

$2,200 No Fee

Studio |

Clinton Hill

201 Clinton Avenue

$699,000

1 |

Cobble Hill

210 Congress Street

$895,000

2 |

Stuyvesant Heights

637 Madison Street

$899,000

2 |

1.5

Bay Ridge

7115 Third Avenue

$419,999

2 |

East Flatbush

132 East 46th Street

$749,000

4 |

Brownsville

9125 Kings Highway

$925,000

6 |

Borough Park

1229 65th Street

$448,000

1 |

Sheepshead Bay

9 Canda Avenue

$520,000

2 |

Gravesend

2580 Ocean Parkway

$589,000

3 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

135 Lefferts Place

$895,000

1 |

Sheepshead Bay

2665 Homecrest Avenue

$398,999

2 |

Marine Park

1604 East 34th Street

$778,000

5 |

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.

Bayside

214-32 43rd Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

31-32 29th Street

$1,975 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

34-16 41st Street

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

Middle Village

58-32 83rd Street

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

31-23 32nd Street

$1,899 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

25-86 44th Street

$2,095 No Fee

1 |

Ditmars-Steinway

18-40 21 Drive

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

Astoria

32-81 46th Street

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

Jamaica

152-09 88th Avenue

$2,150 No Fee

Studio |

Astoria

31-57 36th Street

$2,395 No Fee

1 |

Jackson Heights

30-35 70th Street

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

Sunnyside

51-01 39th Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

Studio |

Ditmars-Steinway

22-54 46th Street

$749,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

35-40 82nd Street

$600,000

2 |

Glendale

68-23 Cooper Avenue

$748,800

5 |

Jackson Heights

88-08 32nd Avenue

$258,000

1 |

Sunnyside

43-33 46th Street

$398,000

1 |

Astoria

33-34 Crescent Street

$529,000

2 |

Forest Hills

66-10 Yellowstone Boulevard

$399,000

1 |

Clearview

163-39 Willets Point Boulevard

$235,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

84-01 37th Avenue

$538,000

1 |

Woodside

30-31 Hobart Street

$280,000

1 |

Kew Gardens

123-35 82 Road

$279,000

2 |

Astoria

25-47 23rd Street

$699,000

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

84 Mclaughlin Street

$2,495 No Fee

2 |

Princes Bay

91 Finlay Avenue

$1,999 No Fee

2 |

Grasmere

65 Parkinson Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

3 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$3,200 No Fee

1 |

Saint George

5 Stuyvesant Place

$2,400 No Fee

Studio |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,500 No Fee

1 |

Saint George

90 Bay Street Landing

$4,800 No Fee

3 |

2.5

Todt Hill

29 Schmidts Lane

$3,995 No Fee

3 |

2.5

Rosebank

22 Rosebank Place

$3,200 No Fee

3 |

Saint George

90 Bay Street Landing

$3,850 No Fee

2 |

2.5

Stapleton

8 Navy Pier Court

$2,255 No Fee

Studio |

Stapleton

7 Navy Pier Court

$2,395 No Fee

Studio |

Emerson Hill

37 Douglas Road

$1,300,000

3 |

Graniteville

483 Willow Road East

$399,000

2 |

1.5

Egbertville

141 Beacon Avenue

$1,220,000

4 |

Port Richmond

25 Orange Avenue

$688,000

3 |

Great Kills

141 Abingdon Avenue

$865,000

4 |

2.5

Mariners Harbor

101 Benjamin Drive

$475,000

2 |

1.5

South Beach

249 Norway Avenue

$669,000

3 |

2.5

Dongan Hills

408 Garretson Avenue

$588,800

2 |

Tottenville

21 Sprague Avenue

$1,880,000

6 |

Westerleigh

278 College Avenue

$1,200,000

7 |

Huguenot

83 Mimosa Lane

$569,000

3 |

Elm Park

148 Trantor Place

$475,000

2 |

1.5

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.