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

656 Saint Nicholas’s Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Hamilton Heights

532 West 143rd Street

$2,600 base rent

2 |

Central Harlem

215 West 145th Street

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Inwood

124 Sherman Avenue

$2,300 base rent

3 |

Hamilton Heights

133 Edgecombe Avenue

$2,995 base rent

2 |

Two Bridges

84 Madison Street

$2,800 base rent

1 |

Hell’s Kitchen

457 West 46th Street

$2,495 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

1856 Park Avenue

$2,333 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

1856 Park Avenue

$2,195 base rent

Studio |

Central Harlem

2600 7th Avenue

$2,824 base rent

1 |

Central Harlem

2600 7th Avenue

$3,000 base rent

1 |

South Harlem

152 West 124th Street

$2,073 base rent

1 |

Lenox Hill

225 East 74th Street

$750,000

1 |

Upper West Side

315 West 86th Street

$795,000

1 |

Hudson Heights

4489 Broadway

$427,000

2 |

Yorkville

325 East 79th Street

$775,000

1 |

Sutton Place

420 East 55th Street

$629,000

1 |

Upper West Side

135 West 79th Street

$699,999

1 |

Turtle Bay

236 East 47th Street

$699,000

1 |

East Harlem

1399 Park Avenue

$965,000

2 |

East Harlem

1810 Third Avenue

$580,000

2 |

East Harlem

1399 Park Avenue

$985,000

2 |

Upper West Side

167 West 73rd Street

$425,000

1 |

Murray Hill

308 East 38th Street

$889,000

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.

Midwood

820 Ocean Parkway

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

703 Rogers Avenue

$2,338 base rent

1 |

East New York

2840 Atlantic Avenue

$2,699 base rent

1 |

East New York

2840 Atlantic Avenue

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

East New York

2840 Atlantic Avenue

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

East New York

2840 Atlantic Avenue

$2,538 base rent

Studio |

Ditmas Park

2102 Beverly Road

$2,050 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

2201 Beverley Road

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

Bushwick

1466 Bushwick Avenue

$2,650 base rent

Studio |

Bushwick

594 Bushwick Avenue

$2,400 base rent

Studio |

Mapleton

1974 51st Street

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Stuyvesant Heights

653 Hancock Street

$2,200 base rent

Studio |

Midwood

842 Ocean Parkway

$749,000

2 |

Coney Island

601 Surf Avenue

$599,000

1 |

Sheepshead Bay

2555 Batchelder Street

$288,000

2 |

Weeksville

1479 Sterling Place

$549,000

1 |

Dyker Heights

1302 83rd Street

$868,800

2 |

Homecrest

2408 Ocean Avenue

$759,000

3 |

2.5

Bensonhurst

1710 84th Street

$728,800

2 |

Stuyvesant Heights

494 Jefferson Avenue

$300,000

3 |

Midwood

1504 Ocean Avenue

$415,000

1 |

Sheepshead Bay

2600 East 21st Street

$290,000

1 |

Clinton Hill

940 Fulton Street

$820,000

1 |

Gowanus

445 Third Avenue

$625,000

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.

Flushing

133-27 Sanford Avenue

$2,125 base rent

1 |

Elmhurst

83-30 Vietor Avenue

$1,821 base rent

Studio |

Jackson Heights

80-08 35th Avenue

$2,350 base rent

1 |

Oakland Gardens

224-60 Horace Harding Expressway Sr S

$2,495 base rent

2 |

Astoria

33-68 11th Street

$1,650 base rent

Studio |

Far Rockaway

11-38 Mc Bride Street

$2,299 base rent

3 |

Kew Gardens

118-40 Metropolitan Avenue

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Far Rockaway

11-27 Nameoke Street

$1,799 base rent

1 |

Briarwood

135-15 Coolidge Avenue

$1,995 base rent

1 |

Rockaway All

127 Beach 119th Street

$2,099 base rent

1 |

Rockaway All

127 Beach 119th Street

$1,399 base rent

Studio |

Woodhaven

89-43 96th Street

$1,900 base rent

1 |

Hollis

88-30 182nd Street

$175,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

76-12 35th Avenue

$310,000

1 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

155-17 Sanford Avenue

$185,000

1 |

Woodside

41-35 63rd Street

$448,000

1 |

Ditmars-Steinway

21-47 33rd Street

$399,999

3 |

Forest Hills

6 Burns Street

$349,000

1 |

Forest Hills

67-12 Yellowstone Boulevard

$475,000

2 |

Forest Hills

66-37 Yellowstone Boulevard

$320,000

1 |

Forest Hills

76-36 113th Street

$365,000

1 |

Springfield Gardens

178-41 Crandall Avenue

$725,000

3 |

Murray Hill (Queens)

150-02 Northern Boulevard

$610,500

1 |

Forest Hills

67-07 Yellowstone Boulevard

$300,000

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 Wall Street

$1,000 base rent

Studio |

Saint George

50 Wall Street

$1,050 base rent

Studio |

Saint George

36 Hamilton Avenue

$1,750 base rent

1 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,800 base rent

1 |

Annadale

49 Shotwell Avenue

$1,700 base rent

1 |

West Brighton

869 Forest Avenue

$1,599 base rent

1 |

Tottenville

153 Bentley Street

$3,300 base rent

3 |

Clifton

273 Gordon Street

$3,811 base rent

3 |

West Brighton

607 Delafield Avenue

$3,300 base rent

3 |

New Springville

155A Devon Loop

$2,450 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,643 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,810 base rent

2 |

Tompkinsville

490 Van Duzer Street

$799,900

6 |

Saint George

90 Bay Street Landing

$939,000

2 |

2.5

Mariners Harbor

41 Woodcrest Road

$630,000

3 |

1.5

Charleston

51 Mallard Lane

$679,999

3 |

Rosebank

132 Saint Mary’s Avenue

$649,000

5 |

Great Kills

275 Katan Avenue

$1,150,000

5 |

New Brighton

565 Castleton Avenue

$210,000

1 |

Huguenot

23 Yucca Drive

$625,000

3 |

Rossville

12 Harris Lane

$985,000

4 |

Rossville

10 Harris Lane

$1,100,000

4 |

Westerleigh

299 Saint John Avenue

$619,000

4 |

New Dorp Beach

44 Finley Avenue

$829,000

3 |

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.