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

1797 Lex Avenue

$2,050 base rent

Studio |

Gramercy Park

134 East 17th Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

Yorkville

506 East 88th Street

$2,825 base rent

Studio |

Washington Heights

551 West 161st Street

$2,550 base rent

Studio |

Chelsea

111 West 16th Street

$2,999 base rent

Studio |

Hell’s Kitchen

341 West 45th Street

$2,895 base rent

Studio |

Yorkville

420 East 82nd Street

$2,875 base rent

Studio |

Lower East Side

123 Ludlow Street

$2,995 base rent

1 |

Kips Bay

319 East 25th Street

$2,895 base rent

Studio |

East Harlem

414 East 120th Street

$2,998 base rent

1 |

South Harlem

386 Manhattan Avenue

$2,775 base rent

1 |

West Village

316 West 14th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

Fulton/Seaport

150 Nassau Street

$895,000

1 |

South Harlem

1919 Madison Avenue

$425,000

2 |

Kips Bay

305 East 24th Street

$750,000

1 |

Central Harlem

2257 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard

$899,000

2 |

Yorkville

505 East 79th Street

$859,500

2 |

Upper East Side

179 East 79th Street

$850,000

1 |

South Harlem

117 West 123rd Street

$775,000

1 |

Murray Hill

303 East 37th Street

$625,000

2 |

Murray Hill

155 East 34th Street

$850,000

1 |

Midtown

2 East 55th Street

$195,000

1 |

Central Harlem

220 West 148th Street

$595,000

1 |

Lenox Hill

205 East 78th Street

$750,000

2 |

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.

Flatbush

1620 New York Avenue

$2,503 base rent

1 |

Brownsville

125 Chester Street

$2,000 base rent

2 |

Sheepshead Bay

4650 Bedford Avenue

$2,150 base rent

1 |

Crown Heights

2431 Dean Street

$2,550 base rent

Studio |

Flatbush

123 Linden Boulevard

$2,695 base rent

Studio |

Weeksville

1689 Sterling Place

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

1.5

Flatbush

1457 Flatbush Avenue

$2,521 base rent

Studio |

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

665 Flatbush Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

Brownsville

1111 Clarkson Avenue

$2,400 base rent

2 |

Wingate

702 Fenimore Street

$2,500 base rent

2 |

Ditmas Park

400 Argyle Road

$2,300 base rent

Studio |

East Flatbush

3408 Farragut Road

$2,699 base rent

2 |

Marine Park

1931 East 32nd Street

$788,888

2 |

Farragut

586 East 42nd Street

$825,000

3 |

2.5

Downtown Brooklyn

306 Gold Street

$850,000

1 |

Homecrest

2120 Ocean Avenue

$765,000

2 |

Midwood

759 East 10th Street

$350,000

1 |

East New York

545 Logan Street

$850,000

4 |

Downtown Brooklyn

215 Adams Street

$825,000

2 |

Flatlands

1533 East 57th Street

$829,000

3 |

2.5

Sheepshead Bay

4668 Bedford Avenue

$849,000

2 |

2.5

Midwood

1215 Avenue M

$279,000

1 |

Gowanus

500 Fourth Avenue

$850,000

1 |

Dyker Heights

8315 13th Avenue

$849,000

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

14-55 Broadway

$2,150 base rent

1 |

Rego Park

61-15 97th Street

$1,950 base rent

Studio |

Kew Gardens

118-65 Metropolitan Avenue

$2,495 base rent

1 |

Maspeth

66-10 Grand Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-61 116th Street

$2,472 base rent

Studio |

Woodside

32-15 58th Street

$2,100 base rent

Studio |

Fresh Meadows

185-01 64th Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Kew Gardens

83-15 118th Street

$2,200 base rent

1 |

Jamaica

88-50 179th Street

$2,250 base rent

1 |

Fresh Meadows

190-19A 71 Crescent

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Jackson Heights

37-10 74th Street

$2,100 base rent

1 |

Fresh Meadows

196-11 69th Avenue

$2,400 base rent

1 |

Lindenwood

151-15 84th Street

$360,000

1 |

East Flushing

140-22 Beech Avenue

$695,000

2 |

Ozone Park

150-07 95th Street

$599,000

3 |

Jamaica

155-01 90th Avenue

$210,000

1 |

Springfield Gardens

140-28 184th Street

$399,900

4 |

Pomonok

163-14 71st Avenue

$738,000

3 |

Sunnyside

39-20 52nd Street

$300,000

1 |

Forest Hills

69-10 Yellowstone Boulevard

$365,000

1 |

Forest Hills

64-05 Yellowstone Boulevard

$725,000

2 |

Woodside

52-16 Roosevelt Avenue

$558,000

1 |

Flushing

134-05 Dahlia Avenue

$680,000

2 |

Flushing

138-18 Northern Boulevard

$717,500

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.

Travis

3954 Victory Boulevard

$2,300 base rent

2 |

Travis

3954 Victory Boulevard

$1,600 base rent

1 |

Mariners Harbor

105 Mersereau Avenue

$3,100 base rent

3 |

New Springville

74 Stepney Street

$2,300 base rent

2 |

Saint George

30 Daniel Low Terrace

$1,800 base rent

1 |

Arrochar

32 Joseph Lane

$3,322 base rent

2 |

Castleton Corners

33 Gower Street

$2,900 base rent

2 |

Saint George

477 Saint Mark’s Place

$2,150 base rent

1 |

Great Kills

45 Ocean Road

$2,500 base rent

2 |

West Brighton

508 Delafield Avenue

$3,200 base rent

3 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$3,023 base rent

1 |

Saint George

5 Bay Street

$4,338 base rent

2 |

Park Hill

584 Richmond Road

$1,050,000

8 |

Port Richmond

76 Greenleaf Avenue

$729,000

5 |

Sunnyside (Staten Island)

80 Labau Avenue

$725,000

3 |

New Springville

140 Merry Mount Street

$1,090,000

5 |

Dongan Hills

42 Hamden Avenue

$1,150,000

6 |

Westerleigh

155 Keiber Court

$649,000

3 |

1.5

South Beach

266 Kensington Avenue

$649,000

3 |

Charleston

55 Topside Lane

$889,000

3 |

2.5

Arden Heights

356 Ilyssa Way

$539,888

3 |

Annadale

4711 Hylan Boulevard

$988,888

4 |

Annadale

161 Eylandt Street

$1,049,999

4 |

1.5

Meiers Corners

266 Bradley Avenue

$850,000

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.