North Hempstead (officially known as the Town of North Hempstead) is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 7th most populous city or town in New York. (Free individuals were not supposed to be reported for the Census; a local militia captain supplied it on his own initiative, with the expectation "that ye Other Captains in Oysterbay will acquaint Your Honour [governor of New York] of those Resideing in ye Other parts of ye Township.") Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off from Hempstead in 1784. No new villages have been created in the Town of North Hempstead since 1932, and prospective villages were further discouraged from incorporating when the county charter was revised in 1936, which denied zoning powers to future villages in the county.
There are also some unincorporated areas in the Town of North Hempstead which are not part of villages; these areas are instead governed by the Town of North Hempstead.
On September 11, 2025, the Town of North Hempstead formally dedicated its 9/11 memorial in Manhasset Valley Park; the memorial had been planned for over 10 years, and construction work had been completed earlier that year.
Geography
left|thumb|U.S. Census map of North Hempstead (highlighted in yellow)
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 22.62%, is water.
The western town line is the border of Queens County, New York, part of New York City. The northern town line, delineated by the Long Island Sound, is the border of Bronx County (also part of New York City) and Westchester County. The Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove are its eastern neighbors, and the Town of Hempstead is its southern neighbor.
North Hempstead is the only town on Long Island that does not have a corresponding hamlet or village in its borders with the same name; Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County and the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Islip, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, Shelter Island and East Hampton in Suffolk County all have smaller neighborhoods with the same name.
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+North Hempstead town, New York – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|162,762
|146,760
|style='background: #ffffe6; |128,168
|73.11%
|64.85%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |53.93%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|13,651
|11,971
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,312
|6.13%
|5.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.76%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|173
|183
|style='background: #ffffe6; |253
|0.08%
|0.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|20,209
|33,747
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54,700
|9.08%
|14.91%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23.02%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|42
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |50
|0.02%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|414
|691
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,649
|0.19%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.69%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|3,488
|3,872
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,424
|1.57%
|1.71%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.70%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|21,872
|29,074
|style='background: #ffffe6; |35,083
|9.83%
|12.85%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.76%
|-
|Total
|222,611
|226,322
|style='background: #ffffe6; |237,639
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 237,639 people residing in 79,546 households in the town. There were 83,729 housing units, 76.5% of which were owner-occupied. The racial makeup of the town was 56% White, 23.1% Asian, 4.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 7.8% from other races, and 7.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.8% of the population.
There were 79,546 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 12.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.2% of all households had individuals 65 years of age or older.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18 and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. The population was 51.6% female.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $96,517, and the median income for a family was $115,697. Males had a median income of $60,094 versus $41,331 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,621. About 3.1% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
Between the 1990 census and the 2000 census, North Hempstead lost some population growth to Queens.
Communities in North Hempstead
Villages (incorporated)
The Town of North Hempstead contains 31 villages:
- Baxter Estates
- East Hills
- East Williston
- Floral Park
- Flower Hill
- Garden City
- Great Neck
- Great Neck Estates
- Great Neck Plaza
- Kensington
- Kings Point
- Lake Success
- Manorhaven
- Mineola
- Munsey Park
- New Hyde Park
- North Hills
- Old Westbury
- Plandome
- Plandome Heights
- Plandome Manor
- Port Washington North
- Roslyn
- Roslyn Estates
- Roslyn Harbor
- Russell Gardens
- Saddle Rock
- Sands Point
- Thomaston
- Westbury
- Williston Park
Hamlets (unincorporated)
The Town of North Hempstead includes the following unincorporated hamlets, which are governed by North Hempstead:)
- Manhasset Hills
- New Cassel
- North New Hyde Park
- Port Washington
- Roslyn Heights
- Saddle Rock Estates
- Searingtown
- Strathmore
- University Gardens
Other locations
- Cow Neck, or Manhasset Neck – A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.
- Great Neck – A peninsula into the Long Island Sound.
- Hempstead Harbor – A bay of the Long Island Sound.
- Lake Success – A lake near the western town line.
- Little Neck Bay – A bay of the Long Island Sound.
- Manhasset Bay – A bay of the Long Island Sound.
- United States Merchant Marine Academy – located in Kings Point.
Government
The Town of North Hempstead is governed by a seven-member board composed of six council members and the Town Supervisor. Council members are each elected by and represent a single district within the Town. The Supervisor is elected at-large and represents the entirety of the Town. In addition to Supervisor, there are two other town-wide positions elected at-large: Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes.
Elected officials
Supervisor
As of January 2026, the Town Supervisor of North Hempstead is Jennifer S. DeSena (R–Manhasset).
The following is a list of North Hempstead's supervisors, from 1784 to present:
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Town Supervisors of North Hempstead:
!Supervisor's name
!Year(s) in office
!Residence
|-
|Adrian Onderdonck
|1784–1786
|Manhasset
|-
|Richard Throne
|1786–1787
|Great Neck
|-
|Adries Hegeman Sr.
|1787–1809
|Flower Hill
|-
|Lawrence Denton
|1809–1819
|Herricks
|-
|John B. Kissam
|1819–1821
|Herricks
|-
|Singleton Mitchell
|1821–1829
|Manhasset
|-
|Henry I. Hagner
|1829–1830
|Herricks
|-
|William L. Mitchell
|1830–1838
|Great Neck
|-
|John Willis
|1838–1846
|Westbury
|-
|Silvanus S. Smith
|1846–1853
|East Herricks
|-
|John S. Wood
|1853–1854
|Westbury
|-
|John M. Clark
|1854–1855
|Westbury
|-
|Andrew J. Hegeman
|1855–1856
|Manhasset
|-
|John M. Clark
|1856–1868
|Westbury
|-
|Benjamin W. Allen
|1868–1870
|Great Neck
|-
|Henry D. Remsen
|1870–1873
|Great Neck
|-
|John M. Clark
|1873–1874
|Westbury
|-
|Henry D. Remsen
|1874–1875
|Great Neck
|-
|Samuel Willets
|1875–1877
|Westbury
|-
|John M. Clark
|1877–1882
|Westbury
|-
|Jacob S. Powell
|1882–1885
|Manhasset
|-
|Augustus Denton
|1885–1886
|New Hyde Park
|-
|Jacob S. Powell
|1886–1889
|Manhasset
|-
|John T. Woolley
|1889–1890
|Lake Success
|-
|John M. Clark
|1890–1892
|Westbury
|-
|Augustus Denton
|1892–1893
|New Hyde Park
|-
|Jacob S. Powell
|1893–1895
|Manhasset
|-
|Augustus Denton
|1895–1900
|New Hyde Park
|-
|Edwin C. Willets
|1900–1903
|Roslyn
|-
|Eugene V. Willis
|1903–1904
|Mineola
|-
|Edwin C. Willets
|1904–1907
|Roslyn
|-
|Philip J. Christ
|1907–1917
|New Hyde Park
|-
|Cornelius E. Remsen
|1917–1929
|Roslyn
|-
|Charles Snedeker
|1929–1938
|Manhasset
|-
|Dwight Rogers
|1938
|Mineola
|-
|Hartford N. Gunn Sr.
|1938–1950
|Port Washington
|-
|Henry A. Sahm
|1950–1960
|Great Neck
|-
|Clinton G. Martin
|1960–1965
|North New Hyde Park
|-
|Solomon Wachtler
|1965–1967
|Kings Point
|-
|Robert C. Meade
|1968–1970
|Great Neck
|-
|Michael J. Tully Jr.
|1971–1982
|North New Hyde Park
|-
|John B. Kiernan
|1982–1989
|Williston Park
|-
|Benjamin L. Zwirn
|1990–1993
|Port Washington
|-
|May W. Newburger
|1994–2003
|Great Neck
|-
|Jon Kaiman
|2004–2014
|Great Neck
|-
|Judi Bosworth
|2014–2021
|Harbor Hills
|-
|Jennifer S. DeSena
|2021–present
|Strathmore
|}
Council members
As of January 2024, the North Hempstead Town Council consists of the following council members:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ North Hempstead Town Council
|-
! District
! Legislator
! Party
! Residence
|-
| 1
| Robert J. Troiano
| Democratic
| Westbury
|-
| 2
| Edward Scott
| Republican
| Albertson
|-
| 3
| Dennis J. Walsh
| Republican
| Mineola
|-
| 4
| Christine Liu
| Democratic
| Herricks
|-
| 5
| Yaron Levy
| Republican
| Great Neck
|-
| 6
| Mariann Dalimonte
| Democratic
| Port Washington
|}
Clerk
As of January 2026, the Town Clerk of North Hempstead is Ragini Srivastava (R–Manhasset Hills).
Receiver of Taxes
As of January 2026, the Receiver of Taxes of North Hempstead is Mary Jo Collins (R–Flower Hill).
Politics
In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 396,504 Town of North Hempstead voted for Joseph Biden (D) at 54.11% of the electorate. Donald Trump (R) received 326,716 votes, placing him at 44.59% of the vote.
Economy
- Northwell Health, the largest employer on Long Island, is based in Great Neck.
- The Americana Manhasset (and the "Miracle Mile", as a whole) – one of Long Island's most famous shopping malls and areas – is located on Northern Boulevard (NY 25A) in Manhasset.thumb|Stores at the Americana Manhasset
- The North American headquarters of Sabena were located in a office building in Manhasset in North Hempstead. In April 2002 Knightsbridge Properties Corp. bought the building for $4.9 million. Due to the bankruptcies of Sabena and Swissair, the real estate deal took over a year to finish. During that month, the building was 30% occupied. Sabena was scheduled to move out of the building on May 10, 2002. The buyer planned to spend an additional $2 million to convert the building into a multi-tenant, Class A office and medical facility. At one time, Servisair's Americas offices were in Great Neck.
- Sumitomo Corporation operates its Lake Success Shared Services Center in an area in the town of North Hempstead, south of Lake Success.
- Systemax, Pall, Publishers Clearing House and NPD Group are based in Port Washington.
Top employers
thumb|St. Francis Hospital, located in [[Flower Hill, New York|Flower Hill, was the third largest employer in North Hempstead in 2021]]
According to North Hempstead's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
| North Shore University Hospital
|13,697
|-
|2
| NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island
|8,706
|-
|3
| St. Francis Hospital
|3,573
|-
|4
| Northwell Health Home Care
|1,001
|-
|5
| Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty
|950
|-
|6
| Northwell Health Stern Family Center
|576
|-
|7
| Laffey Real Estate
|560
|-
|8
| Coffee Distributing Corp
|390
|-
|9
| Sunharbor Manor
|220
|-
|10
| Sands Point Center for Health & Rehabilitation
|197
|}
Transportation
Rail service
thumb|The [[Manhasset station|Manhasset LIRR station]]
The Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay Branch serves the town's vicinity from Mineola to Greenvale. The Main Line runs through the southern parts of the town with stations at Merillon Avenue in Garden City Park through Westbury. The Port Washington Branch runs through the northern part of the town and uses stations from Great Neck across the Manhasset Viaduct into Port Washington.
Bus service
The Town of North Hempstead is served primarily by Nassau Inter-County Express bus routes, though at least two MTA Bus Routes enter Nassau County from Queens.
Major roads
- 24px Interstate 495 is the Long Island Expressway, and the sole interstate highway in the Town of North Hempstead, with interchanges from Exit 33 in Lake Success to Exit 39 in Old Westbury.
- 24px Northern State Parkway is a suburban continuation of the Grand Central Parkway that has interchanges from Exit 25 in Lake Success to Exit 34 in Westbury. The route runs along the south side of the Long Island Expressway. As a parkway, no trucks are allowed.
- 24px Meadowbrook State Parkway runs south to north and only exists within the town between Old Country Road (Exits M1) and the Northern State Parkway, at the Westbury Interchange.
- 24px Wantagh State Parkway only exists within the town between Old Country Rd (Exit W2) and Northern State Parkway.
- 24px New York State Route 25A is the northernmost west–east route in the town, and is a suffixed route of NY 25.thumb|The [[William Cullen Bryant Viaduct carries New York State Route 25A over Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn]]
- 24px New York State Route 25B is another west–east suffixed route of NY 25 that runs from the Bellerose section of Queens into NY 25 in Westbury.
- 24px New York State Route 25
- 24px New York State Route 101 is a south–north state route that runs from Flower Hill, through downtown Port Washington, and eventually into Sands Point.
- Beacon Hill Road
- Bryant Avenue
- East Broadway
- Glen Cove Road
- Herricks Road
- Mineola Avenue
- Old Country Road
- Old Northern Boulevard
- Shelter Rock Road
- West Shore Road
- Willis Avenue
Airports
- Sands Point Seaplane Base
Notable people
- Dino Klapija (born 2007) – soccer player
See also
- List of towns in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in North Hempstead (town), New York
References
External links
- Town of North Hempstead official website