[3] 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.

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.

In addition to Supervisor, there are two other town-wide positions elected at-large: Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes.

[15][16] As of January 2024, the North Hempstead Town Council consists of the following council members:[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] As of January 2024, the Town Clerk of North Hempstead is Ragini Srivastava (R–Manhasset Hills).

[27][28][29] As of January 2024, the Receiver of Taxes of North Hempstead is Mary Jo Collins (R–Flower Hill).

[30] In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 396,504 Town of North Hempstead voted for Joseph Biden (D) at 54.11% of the electorate.

[31] According to North Hempstead's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[36] 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 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.