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.

East Harlem

101 East 116th Street

$2,800 base rent

1 |

Hamilton Heights

527 West 135th Street

$2,700 base rent

2 |

West Village

58 Perry Street

$2,895 base rent

Studio |

Washington Heights

628 West 158th Street

$2,790 base rent

1 |

Hamilton Heights

1726 Amsterdam Avenue

$2,250 base rent

Studio |

West Harlem

408 West 130th Street

$2,695 base rent

1 |

Yorkville

413 East 82nd Street

$2,900 base rent

Studio |

Yorkville

340 East 83rd Street

$2,950 base rent

Studio |

Hell’s Kitchen

413 West 56th Street

$2,850 base rent

Studio |

West Harlem

408 West 130th Street

$2,750 base rent

1 |

Upper West Side

253 West 76th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Hamilton Heights

529 West 135th Street

$2,795 base rent

2 |

Murray Hill

630 First Avenue

$779,000

1 |

Upper West Side

126 Riverside Drive

$669,000

1 |

Upper West Side

55 West 95th Street

$995,000

2 |

Lenox Hill

301 East 69th Street

$875,000

1 |

Upper West Side

310 West End Avenue

$949,000

1 |

NoMad

66 Madison Avenue

$600,000

1 |

Murray Hill

80 Park Avenue

$875,000

1 |

Upper West Side

10 West 93rd Street

$560,000

1 |

Hudson Heights

340 Haven Avenue

$399,000

1 |

Midtown

100 West 57th Street

$575,000

2 |

Central Park South

160 Central Park South

$799,000

1 |

Lincoln Square

170 Wea

$999,000

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.

Ocean Hill

760 Decatur Street

$2,700 base rent

1 |

1.5

Midwood

920 East 17th Street

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Homecrest

2715 Avenue U

$2,399 base rent

2 |

Flatbush

1457 Flatbush Avenue

$2,667 base rent

1 |

Flatbush

1457 Flatbush Avenue

$2,400 base rent

Studio |

East Flatbush

1482 Brooklyn Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

1.5

Kensington

680 Ocean Parkway

$2,000 base rent

1 |

Midwood

1719 East 8th Street

$1,875 base rent

1 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

78 Herkimer Street

$2,600 base rent

Studio |

East Flatbush

714 Clarkson Avenue

$2,650 base rent

2 |

Ocean Hill

2258 Fulton Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

East Flatbush

1546 Brooklyn Avenue

$2,650 base rent

2 |

Williamsburg

30 Bushwick Avenue

$895,000

1 |

Old Mill Basin

2043 East 58th Street

$315,000

2 |

Brownsville

290 Rockaway Parkway

$849,000

3 |

Bedford-Stuyvesant

174 Kosciuszko Street

$755,000

2 |

1.5

Gravesend

2260 Benson Avenue

$389,000

1 |

Madison

2183 Ocean Avenue

$745,000

2 |

Gravesend

8895 26th Avenue

$629,000

3 |

Starrett City

618 Louisiana Avenue

$490,000

3 |

Midwood

820 Ocean Parkway

$689,000

2 |

1.5

Madison

2183 Ocean Avenue

$689,000

2 |

Downtown Brooklyn

319 Schermerhorn Street

$895,000

1 |

Fort Hamilton

9524 Fort Hamilton Avenue

$249,000

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.

Glendale

56-07 Clover Place

$2,095 base rent

Studio |

Ditmars-Steinway

23-11 41st Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens Hills

149-05 79th Avenue

$2,450 base rent

2 |

Forest Hills

75-23 113rd Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Ditmars-Steinway

18-22 21st Avenue

$2,075 base rent

Studio |

Jackson Heights

37-58 86th Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-83 118th Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens Hills

150-23 73rd Avenue

$1,925 base rent

1 |

Jamaica Hills

164-20 Highland Avenue

$1,850 base rent

Studio |

East Flushing

140-70 Ash Avenue

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Jamaica Estates

87-01 Midland Parkway

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Flushing

143-36 Barclay Avenue

$2,300 base rent

1 |

Forest Hills

112-50 78th Avenue

$365,000

1 |

Forest Hills

68-36 Burns Street

$449,000

2 |

Jackson Heights

88-09 Northern Boulevard

$335,000

2 |

East Flushing

195-02 39th Avenue

$269,000

1 |

Jackson Heights

91-08 32nd Avenue

$349,000

2 |

Forest Hills

64-05 Yellowstone Boulevard

$639,000

1 |

Long Island City

27-05 41st Avenue

$738,000

1 |

Sunnyside

48-21 40th Street

$310,000

1 |

Briarwood

140-21 Burden Crescent

$220,000

1 |

Rego Park

65-60 Wetherole Street

$565,000

2 |

Briarwood

139-15 83rd Avenue

$325,000

2 |

Rego Park

75-10 Yellowstone Boulevard

$279,000

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.

Grasmere

65 Parkinson Avenue

$2,195 base rent

1 |

Grasmere

133 Fayette Avenue

$1,700 base rent

1 |

Saint George

25 Sherman Avenue

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Saint George

25 Sherman Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Rossville

71 Pond Street

$2,650 base rent

Studio |

Greenridge

64 Tynan Street

$2,800 base rent

2 |

Castleton Corners

171 Quinlan Avenue

$2,900 base rent

3 |

1.5

New Dorp

270 Greeley Avenue

$3,295 base rent

2 |

Great Kills

52 Harbour Court

$4,250 base rent

2 |

1.5

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,934 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,846 base rent

2 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,602 base rent

2 |

Graniteville

10 Elson Street

$769,999

3 |

Rossville

1016 Rathbun Avenue

$850,000

3 |

3.5

South Beach

417 Father Capodanno Boulevard

$899,000

4 |

3.5

Mariners Harbor

36 Selvin Loop

$505,000

2 |

1.5

Mariners Harbor

25 Wolkoff Lane

$499,000

2 |

Charleston

73 Tiller Court

$909,000

3 |

2.5

Dongan Hills

141 Delaware Avenue

$699,000

2 |

1.5

Emerson Hill

60 Lyman Place

$2,250,000

8 |

Charleston

55 Topside Lane

$879,000

3 |

2.5

Dongan Hills

138 Buel Avenue

$1,050,000

3 |

Willowbrook

18B Dreyer Avenue

$659,000

3 |

1.5

Arden Heights

15 Bianca Court

$528,000

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.