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.
What is now the Town of North Hempstead was first settled by European explorers around 1643, as part of the Town of Hempstead.
The Census of Slaves, conducted in the Province of New York in 1755, contains a long list of enslaved individuals in Oyster Bay, including the hamlets of Jericho and what is now North Hempstead. It is followed by an additional list of "free Negroes Melattoes [people of Afro-European ancestry] and Mustees [people of Afro-Indigenous ancestry] Resideing within ye Township of Oysterbay that may probably Be Likely In case of Insurrections To be as Mischevious as ye Slaves." (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.")
During the American Revolution the southern part of Hempstead was primarily Tory, while the northern part, having been settled by Yankees, supported the revolution. Following the war, the Town of North Hempstead was split off from Hempstead in 1784. North Hempstead became more affluent with the opening of the Long Island Rail Road through to Great Neck, and the inauguration of steamboat service from Manhattan in 1836.
The Town of North Hempstead is made up of 30 incorporated villages that claimed the right to set zoning restrictions to protect their rights and resources. 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.
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.
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.
The Town of North Hempstead contains 31 villages:
The Town of North Hempstead includes the following unincorporated hamlets, which are governed by North Hempstead:
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.
As of January 2026, the Town Supervisor of North Hempstead is Jennifer S. DeSena (RâÂÂManhasset).
The following is a list of North Hempstead's supervisors, from 1784 to present:
As of January 2024, the North Hempstead Town Council consists of the following council members:
As of January 2026, the Town Clerk of North Hempstead is Ragini Srivastava (RâÂÂManhasset Hills).
As of January 2026, the Receiver of Taxes of North Hempstead is Mary Jo Collins (RâÂÂFlower Hill).
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.
According to North Hempstead's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:
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.
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.