Place profile
Also known as: NYC, City of New York
New York City covers 778.3 km² (300.5 sq mi) of land and had a population of 8.6 million in 2025, about 11,031 people per km² (28,569 per sq mi). In more familiar terms, it is about 29% of Rhode Island.
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Calculated from the population and area above; their reference dates may differ.
The closest rung on the US reference ladder (Census Bureau land area); see the sources below.
The inverse of population density, from the same area and population figures.
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New York City’s five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island — with 778.25 km² of land and 8,584,629 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the city in the 2025 Gazetteer place file; it excludes 445 km² of rivers, harbour and bay inside the city limits, so the land-plus-water total is 1,224 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. This is the city, not New York State and not the New York metropolitan area. The outline is the Census Bureau’s own city boundary with its mapped water removed, so it matches the official land area to within 0.2%.
Average administrative density does not describe population distribution in every neighborhood. Compare population definitions and reference dates alongside the numbers.
Place guide
New York City has 778.25 km² of land and an estimated 8,584,629 residents on 1 July 2025, about 11,031 people per km². It is the most populous city in the United States, and the yardstick English speakers reach for when comparing Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul or Tokyo.
Against New York City’s land, Singapore is about 96%, Tokyo’s 23 wards about 81% and Seoul about 78%, while Hong Kong is about 1.4 times New York City. Each pair has its own page with the outlines drawn to one scale.
Manhattan alone has 58.68 km² of land, about 7.5% of the city.
The five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island — and nothing beyond: not New York State and not the metropolitan area. The area is the Census Bureau’s land area for the city in its 2025 Gazetteer, excluding 445 km² of rivers, harbour and bay inside the city limits. The population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate, not a census count.
The outline is the Census Bureau’s own city boundary with its mapped water removed, so it matches the official land area to within 0.2%.
Questions people ask
New York City covers 778.3 km², or 300.5 sq mi (reference date 2025-01-01). In US terms: ≈ 29% of Rhode Island.
8.6 million — 8,584,629 as of 2025-07-01. The scope of that count is set out under “Scope and definitions” on this page.
About 11,030.7 people per km² (28,569 per sq mi), derived from the area and population above, whose reference dates may differ. An administrative average does not describe how crowded any particular neighbourhood is.
New York City’s five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island — with 778.25 km² of land and 8,584,629 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the city in the 2025 Gazetteer place file; it excludes 445 km² of rivers, harbour and bay inside the city limits, so the land-plus-water total is 1,224 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. This is the city, not New York State and not the New York metropolitan area. The outline is the Census Bureau’s own city boundary with its mapped water removed, so it matches the official land area to within 0.2%.
Also written or known as NYC, City of New York. Every one of those names refers to the place measured on this page.
Outline source: U.S. Census Bureau (TIGER/Line 2025 place boundary minus AREAWATER) · Public domain
Read the methodology and data notes