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.

Washington Heights

735 West 172nd Street

$2,600 base rent

2 |

East Harlem

161 East 99th Street

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Washington Heights

555 Edgecombe Avenue

$2,925 base rent

2 |

Sutton Place

241 East 58th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

6 East 132nd Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Inwood

57 Cooper Street

$2,550 base rent

1 |

Upper West Side

2785 Broadway

$2,850 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

137 West 137th Street

$2,530 base rent

1 |

Washington Heights

526 West 161st Street

$3,000 base rent

2 |

Gramercy Park

105 East 15th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Gramercy Park

317 East 18th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

South Harlem

217 West 123rd Street

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

Lenox Hill

111 East 75th Street

$900,000

1 |

Lower East Side

500 Grand Street

$525,000

1 |

Lower East Side

266 East Broadway

$849,000

2 |

Upper West Side

741 West End Avenue

$450,000

1 |

Lincoln Square

140 West End Avenue

$895,000

2 |

Morningside Heights

509 West 122nd Street

$699,000

2 |

Upper West Side

134 West 82nd Street

$600,000

1 |

Murray Hill

137 East 36th Street

$700,000

2 |

Central Harlem

305 West 150th Street

$425,000

1 |

Lenox Hill

404 East 76th Street

$625,000

1 |

Gramercy Park

205 Third Avenue

$950,000

1 |

Turtle Bay

865 United Nations Plaza

$835,000

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.

Crown Heights

1135 Dean Street

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Ocean Hill

1945 Broadway

$2,658 base rent

2 |

Flatbush

2415 Church Avenue

$2,425 base rent

Studio |

Bensonhurst

1570 66th Street

$2,050 base rent

1 |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

423 Rogers Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Crown Heights

2027 Pacific Street

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

445 Bainbridge Street

$2,375 base rent

1 |

East Flatbush

102 East 53rd Street

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Midwood

414 Avenue N

$1,999 base rent

1 |

Kensington

470 Ocean Parkway

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Bushwick

975 Madison Street

$2,170 base rent

Studio |

Flatbush

2901 Albemarle Road

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

Homecrest

2265 Gerritsen Avenue

$195,000

1 |

East Flatbush

427 East 34th Street

$749,000

4 |

2.5

Bushwick

40 Schaefer Street

$575,000

1 |

Bushwick

220 Schaefer Street

$480,000

1 |

Greenwood

259 22nd Street

$825,000

1 |

Bushwick

220 Schaefer Street

$485,000

1 |

Williamsburg

104 Division Avenue

$785,000

3 |

Greenpoint

44 Box Street

$775,000

1 |

Greenwood

259 22nd Street

$795,000

1 |

Homecrest

2171 Bragg Street

$350,000

2 |

East Flatbush

994 East 54th Street

$769,000

5 |

Bensonhurst

1390 West 7th Street

$850,000

4 |

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

34-05 34th Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Astoria

31-46 45th Street

$2,175 base rent

Studio |

Ditmars-Steinway

22-60 27th Street

$2,250 base rent

Studio |

Kew Gardens Hills

150-43 75th Avenue

$2,410 base rent

2 |

Ditmars-Steinway

20-64 21st Street

$2,475 base rent

1 |

North Corona

34-02 106th Street

$2,050 base rent

1 |

Jamaica

92-29 Guy R Brewer Boulevard

$2,417 base rent

1 |

Elmhurst

89-50 56th Avenue

$1,650 base rent

Studio |

Sunnyside

48-15 43rd Avenue

$2,295 base rent

1 |

Elmhurst

92-16 Whitney Avenue

$2,485 base rent

1 |

Briarwood

141-35 Pershing Crescent

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

115-25 84th Avenue

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Elmhurst

84-19 51st Avenue

$459,000

2 |

Douglaston

43-25 Douglaston Parkway

$249,900

1 |

Forest Hills

72-61 113th Street

$325,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

35-11 85th Street

$499,000

2 |

Kew Gardens Hills

147-46 Village Road

$350,000

2 |

Forest Hills

102-10 66 Road

$400,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

78-11 35th Avenue

$339,000

1 |

Clearview

17-76 166th Street

$288,888

1 |

Jackson Heights

34-49 81st Street

$330,000

1 |

Woodside

65-15 38th Avenue

$465,000

2 |

Kew Gardens

124-16 84 Road

$299,000

1 |

Ridgewood

714 Seneca Avenue

$599,000

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.

Mariners Harbor

305 Netherland Avenue

$3,500 base rent

3 |

Saint George

50 Fort Place

$1,700 base rent

1 |

Princes Bay

168 Mac Gregor Street

$2,200 base rent

2 |

Sunnyside (Staten Island)

850 Howard Avenue

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,092 base rent

1 |

Huguenot

735 Woodrow Road

$3,700 base rent

4 |

West Brighton

869 Forest Avenue

$1,750 base rent

1 |

Castleton Corners

33 Gower Street

$2,999 base rent

2 |

Grymes Hill

17 Tessa Court

$4,100 base rent

4 |

2.5

Port Richmond

67 Cottage Place

$1,800 base rent

Studio |

Tottenville

217 Main Street

$2,800 base rent

2 |

Todt Hill

29 Schmidts Lane

$4,995 base rent

4 |

2.5

New Dorp Beach

51 Seafoam Street

$299,000

1 |

Castleton Corners

128 Graves Street

$825,000

3 |

1.5

Rossville

145 Marisa Circle

$879,000

5 |

2.5

Rossville

141 Marisa Circle

$879,000

5 |

2.5

Eltingville

16 Rankin Street

$768,000

3 |

Pleasant Plains

6475 Amboy Road

$1,499,000

4 |

5.5

New Springville

69 Villa Nova Street

$919,999

3 |

3.5

Westerleigh

163 Wardwell Avenue

$1,199,999

6 |

Arden Heights

50 Aspen Knolls Way

$479,000

2 |

1.5

South Beach

45 Sea Gate Court

$669,000

2 |

Grasmere

29 Leslie Avenue

$1,550,000

4 |

Midland Beach

329 Greeley Avenue

$758,000

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.