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

509 East 73rd Street

$2,995 base rent

1 |

Lenox Hill

1492 Second Avenue

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

East Harlem

1876 Third Avenue

$2,800 base rent

1 |

Kips Bay

252 East 33rd Street

$2,900 base rent

Studio |

Kips Bay

238 East 25th Street

$2,875 base rent

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

796 Ninth Avenue

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Turtle Bay

213 East 45th Street

$2,695 base rent

Studio |

Inwood

220 Sherman Avenue

$2,250 base rent

1 |

Chelsea

364 West 19th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

415 East 73rd Street

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

482 East 74th Street

$2,900 base rent

Studio |

Hudson Heights

56 Bennett Avenue

$2,595 base rent

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

301 West 53rd Street

$969,000

1 |

Yorkville

301 East 79th Street

$875,000

1 |

Fort George

2440 Amsterdam Avenue

$325,000

2 |

South Harlem

56 West 119th Street

$399,999

1 |

South Harlem

56 West 119th Street

$425,000

1 |

Upper West Side

215 West 95th Street

$840,000

1 |

Yorkville

212 East 88th Street

$345,000

1 |

Central Harlem

305 West 150th Street

$425,000

1 |

Morningside Heights

3115 Broadway

$768,000

3 |

East Harlem

342 East 119th Street

$550,000

2 |

East Harlem

342 East 119th Street

$550,000

2 |

Lenox Hill

205 East 63rd Street

$425,000

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.

Stuyvesant Heights

67 Lewis Avenue

$2,700 base rent

Studio |

Bushwick

426 Himrod Street

$2,700 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

1644 New York Avenue

$2,550 base rent

Studio |

East Flatbush

833 Maple Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Bay Ridge

72 Mackay Place

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Sheepshead Bay

2330 Voorhies Avenue

$2,345 base rent

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

354 Rutland Road

$1,949 base rent

1 |

Borough Park

5115 13th Avenue

$1,900 base rent

1 |

Ditmas Park

1199 Ocean Avenue

$2,550 base rent

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

239 Hawthorne Street

$2,400 base rent

Studio |

Canarsie

381 De Witt Avenue

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Sheepshead Bay

601 Avenue X

$2,090 base rent

1 |

East Flatbush

41 Alton Place

$875,000

3 |

1.5

Downtown Brooklyn

189 Schermerhorn Street

$829,000

1 |

Farragut

4007 Clarendon Road

$685,000

2 |

1.5

Downtown Brooklyn

230 Jay Street

$549,000

1 |

Coney Island

460 Neptune Avenue

$320,000

1 |

Coney Island

458 Neptune Avenue

$365,000

2 |

Homecrest

2229 Knapp Street

$289,000

2 |

Bergen Beach

2351 East 70th Street

$949,000

3 |

2.5

Bay Ridge

7423 Ridge Boulevard

$425,000

1 |

Midwood

1577 East 17th Street

$345,000

1 |

East New York

537 Jerome Street

$625,000

4 |

Bensonhurst

1515 West 4th Street

$695,000

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.

Astoria

30-56 12th Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Maspeth

61-51 Borden Avenue

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Forest Hills

72-72 112th Street

$2,275 base rent

Studio |

Jamaica

92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard

$2,419 base rent

1 |

Jamaica

92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard

$2,486 base rent

1 |

Astoria

25-58 45th Street

$1,700 base rent

1 |

Jamaica

89-61 162nd Street

$2,350 base rent

1 |

Forest Hills

102-35 64 Road

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Queens Village

221-56 90th Avenue

$2,350 base rent

1 |

Forest Hills

103-26 68th Avenue

$1,995 base rent

Studio |

Jackson Heights

32-52 84th Street

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Astoria

31-58 29th Street

$1,800 base rent

Studio |

Murray Hill (Queens)

144-38 35th Avenue

$649,000

1 |

Hunters Point

4-74 48th Avenue

$585,000

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

34-25 150 Place

$550,000

2 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

34-25 150 Place

$499,000

2 |

Corona

99-14 59th Avenue

$495,000

3 |

Jackson Heights

86-10 34th Avenue

$425,000

1 |

Forest Hills

67-66 108th Street

$319,000

1 |

Elmhurst

42-02 Layton Street

$355,000

2 |

Kew Gardens Hills

144-15 Charter Road

$239,000

1 |

Woodside

41-35 67th Street

$749,000

2 |

East Flushing

42-40 Bowne Street

$339,000

1 |

Forest Hills

112-20 72 Drive

$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.

West Brighton

869 Forest Avenue

$1,599 base rent

1 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,754 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$2,715 base rent

Studio |

Stapleton

86 Canal Street

$2,850 base rent

2 |

Saint George

52 Westervelt Avenue

$2,150 base rent

Studio |

New Springville

190 Wellington Court

$1,600 base rent

1 |

Castleton Corners

79 Dongan Avenue

$2,400 base rent

2 |

Dongan Hills

171 Liberty Avenue

$2,900 base rent

3 |

Travis

3954 Victory Boulevard

$2,100 base rent

2 |

Travis

3954 Victory Boulevard

$3,000 base rent

3 |

1.5

Mariners Harbor

105 Mersereau Avenue

$3,100 base rent

3 |

Tompkinsville

67 Brewster Street

$775,000

4 |

2.5

Huguenot

133 Cardiff Street

$650,000

2 |

Mariners Harbor

32 Benjamin Drive

$742,999

2 |

Pleasant Plains

6170 Amboy Road

$999,000

2 |

1.5

Elm Park

36 Riverside Lane

$799,000

4 |

3.5

Saint George

10 Bay Street Landing

$489,900

1 |

Grant City

100 Colfax Avenue

$448,800

3 |

Willowbrook

668 Stewart Avenue

$1,289,000

4 |

Sunnyside (Staten Island)

23 East Cheshire Place

$899,000

5 |

Bulls Head

28 Sleepy Hollow Road

$849,000

4 |

3.5

West Brighton

15 Rachel Court

$775,000

4 |

Dongan Hills

240 Atlantic Avenue

$1,048,000

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.