Manhattan is about 13.4 miles (21.6 km) long and up to 2.3 miles (3.7 km) wide at its widest point, with roughly 22.8–23 square miles (about 59 km²) of land area. Including surrounding water area counted for New York County, the total area is about 33.6 square miles (87 km²).

Quick Scoop

  • Length: about 13.4 miles from tip to tip.
  • Width: up to about 2.3 miles at the widest point, narrowing to under a mile in some stretches.
  • Land area (the island people usually mean by “Manhattan”): about 22.8–23 square miles (≈59 km²).
  • Total area of New York County (land + water): about 33.6 square miles (87 km²).
  • Population density: around 70,000+ people per square mile, making it one of the most densely populated major areas in the U.S.

A quick mental picture

If you imagine a long, thin rectangle:

  • It’s roughly the distance of a half marathon plus a bit (13.4 miles) from north to south.
  • From east to west, you could walk across in under an hour at the widest point (just over 2 miles).

Tiny comparison table

[10][2][1] [2][1] [10][8][1] [7][1]
Measure Number
Length ≈13.4 miles (21.6 km)
Max width ≈2.3 miles (3.7 km)
Land area ≈22.8–23 sq mi (≈59 km²)
Total county area (land + water) ≈33.6 sq mi (87 km²)

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.