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Counties of New York
Location	State of New York
Number	62
Populations	5,082 (Hamilton) – 2,561,225 (Kings)
Areas	33.77 square miles (87.5 km) (New York) – 2,821 square miles (7,310 km) (St. Lawrence)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	Cities, Towns, Indian Reservations

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There are 62 counties in the U.S. state of New York.

The first 12 counties were created in 1683 soon after the British took over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam; two of these counties were later abolished, their land going to Massachusetts. These counties were carried over after independence in 1783. Most of the counties were created by the state in the 19th century. The newest county is the Bronx, created in 1914 from the portions of New York County that had been annexed from Westchester County in the late 19th century. New York's counties are named for various Native American words; British provinces, counties, cities, and royalty; early American statesmen and military personnel; and New York State politicians.

Authority

Excepting the five boroughs of New York City, New York counties are governed by New York County Law and have governments run by either a Board of Supervisors or a County Legislature, and either an elected County Executive or appointed county manager. Counties without charters are run by a Board of Supervisors, in which Town Supervisors from towns within the county also sit on the county Board of Supervisors. For counties with a charter, the executives generally have powers to veto acts of the county legislature. The legislatures have powers of setting policies, levying taxes and distributing funds.

Five boroughs of New York City

Five of New York's counties are each coextensive with New York City's five boroughs. They are New York County (Manhattan), Kings County (Brooklyn), Bronx County (The Bronx), Richmond County (Staten Island), and Queens County (Queens).

In contrast to other counties of New York, the powers of the five boroughs of New York City are very limited and in nearly all respects are governed by the city government. Only a few officials are elected on a borough-wide basis, such as the five borough presidents, district attorneys, and all county and state supreme court judges. There are no official county seats, but the locations of borough halls and courthouses bestow certain neighborhoods an informal designation as county seats within their boroughs:

• The Bronx County Courthouse and the borough's main post office are located in the Concourse section of the Bronx. The separate Bronx Borough Hall burned down in 1969.
• Brooklyn Borough Hall, the Federal Building and Post Office, and county Supreme Court are in Downtown Brooklyn.
• The Municipal Building, where the Manhattan Borough President's office is located, and most courthouses are in the downtown Civic Center. The General Post Office is in Midtown Manhattan.
• Queens Borough Hall and a courthouse are in Kew Gardens. Another major courthouse, post office, and the Long Island Railroad hub are in Jamaica. Queens also has general post offices in Flushing, Long Island City and Far Rockaway.
• Staten Island Borough Hall, three courthouses, and the St. George Terminal transportation hub are in the St. George neighborhood.

List of counties

County	FIPS Code	County seat	Est.	Formed from	Named for	Density (Pop./mi)	Pop. (2023)	Area	Map
Albany County	001	Albany	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	James II of England (James VII of Scotland) (1633–1701), who was Duke of York (English title) and Duke of Albany (Scottish title) before becoming King of England, Ireland, and Scotland.	594.11	316,659	533 sq mi (1,380 km)
Allegany County	003	Belmont	Apr 7, 1806	Genesee County	A variant spelling of the Allegheny River	45.12	46,651	1,034 sq mi (2,678 km)
Bronx County	005	none (sui generis)	Jan 1, 1914	New York County	Jonas Bronck (1600?–1643), an early settler of the Dutch colony of New Netherland	23,619.64	1,356,476	57.43 sq mi (149 km)
Broome County	007	Binghamton	Mar 28, 1806	Tioga County	John Broome (1738–1810), fourth Lieutenant Governor of New York	274.23	196,077	715 sq mi (1,852 km)
Cattaraugus County	009	Little Valley	Mar 11, 1808	Genesee County	A word from an uncertain Iroquoian language meaning "bad smelling banks", referring to the odor of natural gas which leaked from Cattaraugus Creek	57.71	75,600	1,310 sq mi (3,393 km)
Cayuga County	011	Auburn	Mar 8, 1799	Onondaga County	The Cayuga tribe of Native Americans	86.21	74,485	864 sq mi (2,238 km)
Chautauqua County	013	Mayville	Mar 11, 1808	Genesee County	Loanword from the Erie language describing Chautauqua Lake; language now lost and cannot be translated	83.26	124,891	1,500 sq mi (3,885 km)
Chemung County	015	Elmira	Mar 20, 1836	Tioga County	A Lenape word meaning "big horn", which was the name of a local Native American village	197.96	81,325	410.81 sq mi (1,064 km)
Chenango County	017	Norwich	Mar 15, 1798	Tioga County and Herkimer County	An Onondaga word meaning "large bull-thistle"	51.09	45,920	898.85 sq mi (2,328 km)
Clinton County	019	Plattsburgh	Mar 4, 1788	Washington County	George Clinton (1739–1812), fourth Vice President of the United States and first and third Governor of New York	69.87	78,115	1,118 sq mi (2,896 km)
Columbia County	021	Hudson	Apr 1, 1786	Albany County	Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the European explorer	93.32	60,470	648 sq mi (1,678 km)
Cortland County	023	Cortland	Apr 8, 1808	Onondaga County	Pierre Van Cortlandt (1721–1814), first Lieutenant Governor of New York	91.14	45,752	502 sq mi (1,300 km)
Delaware County	025	Delhi	Mar 10, 1797	Otsego County and Ulster County	Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618), an early colonial leader in Virginia. Name applied to the bay, river, and Lenape Native Americans	30.25	44,410	1,468 sq mi (3,802 km)
Dutchess County	027	Poughkeepsie	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	Mary of Modena (1658–1718), Duchess of York and wife of King James II of England	360.18	297,150	825 sq mi (2,137 km)
Erie County	029	Buffalo	Apr 2, 1821	Niagara County	The Erie tribe of Native Americans	771.11	946,147	1,227 sq mi (3,178 km)
Essex County	031	Elizabethtown	Mar 1, 1799	Clinton County	The county of Essex in England	19.19	36,775	1,916 sq mi (4,962 km)
Franklin County	033	Malone	Mar 11, 1808	Clinton County	Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), the early American printer, scientist, and statesman	27.40	46,502	1,697 sq mi (4,395 km)
Fulton County	035	Johnstown	Apr 18, 1838	Montgomery County	Robert Fulton (1765–1815), inventor of the steamship	98.00	52,234	533 sq mi (1,380 km)
Genesee County	037	Batavia	Mar 30, 1802	Ontario County and land acquired in the Holland Purchase	A Seneca phrase meaning "good valley"	116.22	57,529	495 sq mi (1,282 km)
Greene County	039	Catskill	Mar 25, 1800	Albany County and Ulster County	Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), the American Revolutionary War general	71.52	47,062	658 sq mi (1,704 km)
Hamilton County	041	Lake Pleasant	Apr 12, 1816	Montgomery County	Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), the early American political theorist and first Secretary of the Treasury	2.81	5,082	1,808 sq mi (4,683 km)
Herkimer County	043	Herkimer	Feb 16, 1791	Montgomery County	Nicholas Herkimer (1728–1777), the American Revolutionary War general	40.80	59,484	1,458 sq mi (3,776 km)
Jefferson County	045	Watertown	Mar 28, 1805	Oneida County	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the early American statesman, author of the Declaration of Independence, and third President of the United States	61.81	114,787	1,857 sq mi (4,810 km)
Kings County	047	none (sui generis)	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	King Charles II of England (1630–1685)	26,431.63	2,561,225	96.9 sq mi (251 km)
Lewis County	049	Lowville	Mar 28, 1805	Oneida County	Morgan Lewis (1754–1844), the fourth Governor of New York	20.58	26,548	1,290 sq mi (3,341 km)
Livingston County	051	Geneseo	Feb 23, 1821	Genesee County and Ontario County	Robert Livingston (1746–1813), the early American statesman and New York delegate to the Continental Congress	95.56	61,158	640 sq mi (1,658 km)
Madison County	053	Wampsville	Mar 21, 1806	Chenango County	James Madison (1751–1836), the early American statesman, principal author of the Constitution of the United States, and fourth President of the United States	101.09	66,921	662 sq mi (1,715 km)
Monroe County	055	Rochester	Feb 23, 1821	Genesee County and Ontario County	James Monroe (1758–1831), the early American statesman and fifth President of the United States	547.94	748,482	1,366 sq mi (3,538 km)
Montgomery County	057	Fonda	Mar 12, 1772	Albany County	Originally Tryon County after colonial governor William Tryon (1729–1788), renamed after the American Revolutionary War general Richard Montgomery (1738–1775) in 1784	120.41	49,368	410 sq mi (1,062 km)
Nassau County	059	Mineola	Jan 1, 1899	Queens County	The Princes of Orange-Nassau ruled the Netherlands when Long Island was a Dutch colony	3,050.14	1,381,715	453 sq mi (1,173 km)
New York County	061	none (sui generis)	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	King James II of England (1633–1701), who was Duke of York and Albany before he ascended the throne of England, Duke of York being his English title	47,303.85	1,597,451	33.77 sq mi (87 km)
Niagara County	063	Lockport	Mar 11, 1808	Genesee County	The Iroquoian name of a tribe within the Neutral Nation, the exact translation of which remains disputed	183.73	209,457	1,140 sq mi (2,953 km)
Oneida County	065	Utica	Mar 15, 1798	Herkimer County	The Oneida tribe of Native Americans	187.60	227,555	1,213 sq mi (3,142 km)
Onondaga County	067	Syracuse	Mar 5, 1794	Herkimer County	The Onondaga tribe of Native Americans	580.49	467,873	806 sq mi (2,088 km)
Ontario County	069	Canandaigua	Jan 27, 1789	Land acquired in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase	An Iroquoian word meaning "beautiful lake"	169.93	112,494	662 sq mi (1,715 km)
Orange County	071	Goshen	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	William of Orange-Nassau (1650–1702), who became King William III of England	485.66	407,470	839 sq mi (2,173 km)
Orleans County	073	Albion	Nov 12, 1824	Genesee County	The French Royal House of Orléans	47.89	39,124	817 sq mi (2,116 km)
Oswego County	075	Oswego	Mar 1, 1816	Oneida County and Onondaga County	The Oswego River, from an Iroquoian word meaning "the outpouring", referring to the mouth of the river	90.06	118,162	1,312 sq mi (3,398 km)
Otsego County	077	Cooperstown	Feb 16, 1791	Montgomery County	A Native American word meaning "place of the rock"	59.95	60,126	1,003 sq mi (2,598 km)
Putnam County	079	Carmel Hamlet	Jun 12, 1812	Dutchess County	Israel Putnam (1718–1790), an American Revolutionary War general	398.62	98,060	246 sq mi (637 km)
Queens County	081	none (sui generis)	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), Queen of England and wife of King Charles II of England	12,632.91	2,252,196	178.28 sq mi (462 km)
Rensselaer County	083	Troy	Feb 7, 1791	Albany County	In honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596 – after 1643), the early landholder in the Dutch New Netherland colony	239.56	159,305	665 sq mi (1,722 km)
Richmond County	085	none (sui generis)	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond (1672–1723), the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England	4,787.19	490,687	102.5 sq mi (265 km)
Rockland County	087	New City	Feb 23, 1798	Orange County	Early settlers' description of terrain as "rocky land"	1,712.60	340,807	199 sq mi (515 km)
St. Lawrence County	089	Canton	Mar 3, 1802	Clinton County, Herkimer County, and Montgomery County	The St Lawrence River, which forms the northern border of the county and New York State	37.91	106,940	2,821 sq mi (7,306 km)
Saratoga County	091	Ballston Spa	Feb 7, 1791	Albany County	A corruption of a Native American word meaning "the hill beside the river"	282.83	238,711	844 sq mi (2,186 km)
Schenectady County	093	Schenectady	Mar 27, 1809	Albany County	A Mohawk word meaning "on the other side of the pine lands"	761.44	159,902	210 sq mi (544 km)
Schoharie County	095	Schoharie	Apr 6, 1795	Albany County and Otsego County	A Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood"	48.09	30,105	626 sq mi (1,621 km)
Schuyler County	097	Watkins Glen	Apr 17, 1854	Chemung County, Steuben County, and Tompkins County	Philip Schuyler (1733–1804), the American Revolutionary War general and Senator from New York	51.19	17,507	342 sq mi (886 km)
Seneca County	099	Waterloo	Mar 24, 1804	Cayuga County	The Seneca tribe of Native Americans	99.54	32,349	325 sq mi (842 km)
Steuben County	101	Bath	Mar 18, 1796	Ontario County	Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), the Prussian general who assisted the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War	65.64	92,162	1,404 sq mi (3,636 km)
Suffolk County	103	Riverhead	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	The county of Suffolk in England	641.88	1,523,170	2,373 sq mi (6,146 km)
Sullivan County	105	Monticello	Mar 27, 1809	Ulster County	John Sullivan (1740–1795), an American Revolutionary War general	80.16	79,920	997 sq mi (2,582 km)
Tioga County	107	Owego	Feb 16, 1791	Montgomery County	A Native American word meaning "at the forks", describing a meeting place	91.23	47,715	523 sq mi (1,355 km)
Tompkins County	109	Ithaca	Apr 7, 1817	Cayuga County and Seneca County	Daniel D. Tompkins (1774–1825), the 6th Vice President of the United States	217.56	103,558	476 sq mi (1,233 km)
Ulster County	111	Kingston	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	The Irish province of Ulster, then an earldom of the Duke of York, later King James II of England	157.05	182,333	1,161 sq mi (3,007 km)
Warren County	113	Queensbury	Mar 12, 1813	Washington County	Joseph Warren (1741–1775), the early American patriot and American Revolutionary War general	75.15	65,380	870 sq mi (2,253 km)
Washington County	115	Fort Edward	Mar 12, 1772	Albany County	Originally Charlotte County, renamed in 1784 after George Washington (1732–1799), the American Revolutionary War general and first President of the United States	70.98	60,047	846 sq mi (2,191 km)
Wayne County	117	Lyons	Apr 11, 1823	Ontario County and Seneca County	General Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), the American Revolutionary War general	65.63	90,829	1,384 sq mi (3,585 km)
Westchester County	119	White Plains	Nov 1, 1683	One of 12 original counties created in the New York colony	The city of Chester in England	1,981.63	990,817	500 sq mi (1,295 km)
Wyoming County	121	Warsaw	May 14, 1841	Genesee County	A modification of a word from the Lenape language meaning "broad bottom lands"	66.33	39,532	596 sq mi (1,544 km)
Yates County	123	Penn Yan	Feb 5, 1823	Ontario County and Steuben County	Joseph C. Yates (1768–1837), eighth Governor of New York	65.09	24,472	376 sq mi (974 km)

Defunct counties

Proposed new counties

Clickable map

See also

• List of United States counties and county equivalents
• List of former United States counties
• New York State City/County Management Association

References

1. "The 12 Original Counties of New York State - Cliff Lamere". genealogy.clifflamere.com. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
2. ^ "New York Formation Maps". Genealogy, Inc. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
3. ^ Beatty, Michael (2001). County Name Origins of the United States. McFarland Press. ISBN 0-7864-1025-6.
4. Benjamin, Gerald; Nathan, Richard P. (1990). Regionalism and realism: A Study of Government in the New York Metropolitan Area. Brookings Institution. p. 59.
5. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". US Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
6. ^ "Find A County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
7. Mitchell, George (1987–1988). The New York Red Book: An Illustrated Yearbook of Authentic Information Concerning New York State, Its Departments and Political Subdivisions and the Officials Who Administer Its Affairs (89th ed.). Albany, New York: Williams Press, Inc. pp. 987–988.
8. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New York". U.S. Census Bureau. July 2023. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
9. Legislation splitting off Bronx County from New York County was enacted in 1912 with an effective date of January 1, 1914. Prior to 1874 the entire area had been part of Westchester County. See McCarthy, Thomas C. "A 5-Borough Centennial Preface for the Katharine Bement Davis Mini-History". New York City Department of Corrections. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
10. Lynch, Mike (October 30, 2007). "North Elba Supervisor Candidate Debate". Plattsburgh Press Republican. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
11. Healy, Patrick (February 11, 2004). "Growth Pains and Clout Heading East in Suffolk". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2008.

External links

• "Counties" at NY.gov

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