John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, in New York City, about 15–16 miles (around 25 km) southeast of Midtown Manhattan.

Quick Scoop

  • City & borough: New York City, borough of Queens.
  • Neighborhood: Jamaica area of southeast Queens, near Jamaica Bay on Long Island’s southwestern shore.
  • Distance from Manhattan: Roughly 15–16 miles (about 25–26 km) from Midtown Manhattan, toward the southeast.
  • Address example: “John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, NY 11430, USA” is the commonly used mailing/local address.

Getting a mental map

If you imagine New York City as five main boroughs, JFK sits out on the eastern/southeastern side in Queens, not on Manhattan Island itself, close to the water at Jamaica Bay. You typically reach it via the Van Wyck Expressway (Interstate 678), the JFK Expressway, or by train/subway connections like the AirTrain linking to subway and commuter rail.

In everyday terms: when people say “flying into New York” and mention JFK, they’re talking about this big international airport out in Queens, a taxi or train ride away from Manhattan.

TL;DR: JFK Airport is in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, roughly 16 miles southeast of Midtown Manhattan.

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