| Counties of New York | |
| Territory: | State of New York |
| Current Number: | 62 |
| Population Range: | 5,082 (Hamilton) – 2,561,225 (Kings) |
| Area Range: | (New York) – (St. Lawrence) |
| Government: | County government |
| Subdivision: | Cities, Towns, Indian Reservations |
There are 62 counties in the U.S. state of New York.
The first 12 were created immediately after the British took over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam; two of these counties were later abolished, their land going to Massachusetts.[1] The newest is Bronx County, created in 1914 from the portions of New York City that had been annexed from Westchester County in the late 19th century and added to New York County.[2] 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.[3]
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 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.[4] 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:
| County | FIPS Code [5] | County seat [6] | [7] | Formed from | Named for | Density (Pop./mi2) | (2023) [8] | Area | Map |
|---|
| County | Created | Abolished | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte County | 1772 | 1784 | Partitioned. Western part renamed as Washington County and eastern part transferred to Vermont. |
| Cornwall County | 1665 | 1686 | Transferred to the part of Massachusetts that later became the state of Maine and partitioned; one of the 12 original counties created in the New York colony |
| Cumberland County | 1766 | 1777 | Transferred to Vermont and partitioned |
| Dukes County | November 1, 1683 | 1692 | Transferred to Massachusetts; one of 12 original counties created in the New York colony |
| Gloucester County | 1770 | 1777 | Transferred to Vermont and partitioned |
| Mexico County | 1792 | 1796 | Never settled or incorporated, reallocated to Oneida, Oswego and Jefferson Counties. |
| Tryon County | 1772 | 1784 | Renamed as Montgomery County |
| County | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Adirondack County | Would hypothetically consist of portions of northern Essex County and southern Franklin County[9] | |
| Peconic County | Would hypothetically consist of the five easternmost towns in Suffolk County on Long Island.[10] |