Living in Glen Head, NY: Taxes, Schools, Commute, Homes

Glen Head has no village hall of its own: it is an unincorporated hamlet, and the Town of Oyster Bay is its local government. It sits among the other North Shore towns, and the next town to compare is Sea Cliff.

Is Glen Head wealthy or expensive? Income, home values and rents

Glen Head’s median household income is $138,465 in the Census Bureau’s ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, with a margin of error of $21,610. Median family income is $164,659 for the same years, with a margin of error of $55,768. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $872,000, with a margin of error of $81,003. Median gross rent is $2,440 a month, with a margin of error of $639.

The hamlet is overwhelmingly owner-occupied. Of 1,668 occupied housing units, 1,493 are owner-occupied and 175 are renter-occupied. The median home was built in 1958. Population is 4,653 in the ACS and was 4,837 at the 2020 census.

Governance, sewers and water

Glen Head is a hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County. As an unincorporated area, it is governed directly by the Oyster Bay Town Council. The City of Glen Cove borders it to the north, and Glen Head is considered part of the greater Glen Cove area. Compare the neighbor in the Glen Cove guide.

Glen Head is a bedroom community of New York City and lies less than 30 miles east of Manhattan. A significant number of residents commute to New York for work. The hamlet covers 1.6 square miles, all land. Glen Cove borders it to the north, the Village of Matinecock to the east and northeast, Old Brookville to the east and south, Sea Cliff to the west and northwest, and Glenwood Landing to the west and southwest. It lies within the Gold Coast Library District. Sewage is handled privately: Glen Head has no sanitary sewer connection, and homes rely on cesspools and septic systems. Water is primarily supplied by Liberty Utilities. The cesspools and sewers guide covers the purchase side. Other offices are listed in the village and town halls guide.

How property taxes work in Glen Head

The Town of Oyster Bay Receiver of Taxes bills property taxes on more than 100,000 parcels in the Town. The office acts as a collection agency for State, County, Town, special district and school district taxes.

There is a 40-day penalty-free period between the due date and the penalty date. Miss the last penalty-free day and the charge is 1% per month, retroactive to the original due date. After the collection period ends, on May 31 for school taxes and August 31 for general taxes, unpaid taxes are payable to the Nassau County Treasurer in Mineola. The Receiver’s frequently asked questions page carries these rules.

Taxpayers have the right to file a grievance on their property’s assessed value. Grievances go to the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission. The 2026 window closed March 31, 2026, after the County extended it. The Town’s page gives the usual grievance period as January 2 to March 1. The next opportunity to file follows the County’s next tentative assessment roll. New owners should register for STAR school tax relief as soon as the home becomes their primary residence. Basic STAR has a $500,000 income limit for the credit and $250,000 for the exemption, and its benefit is based on the first $30,000 of a home’s full value. The property must be the primary residence of an eligible owner. For county-wide mechanics, see Nassau County property taxes.

Schools: North Shore Central School District

Glen Head is served by North Shore Central School District. North Shore High School, the district’s only high school, is located within Glen Head. The district reported 2,541 K-12 public school students in 2024-25.

The NYSED School Report Card profile lists a four-year graduation rate of 98% for 2024-25, an attendance rate of 95% and a suspension rate of 2%. The district enrolled 64 English Language Learner students. For the wider picture, see the North Shore school districts guide.

Commuting from Glen Head: LIRR and bus

The Glen Head station on the Long Island Rail Road’s Oyster Bay Branch sits in the hamlet’s downtown. Nassau Inter-County Express runs the n21 and n27 bus routes through Glen Head. Major roads in the hamlet are Glen Cove Road, Cedar Swamp Road (NY 107), Glen Head Road and Glen Cove Avenue. Details on service patterns are in the LIRR Oyster Bay Branch guide.

Utilities, library and household makeup

Natural gas comes from National Grid USA for homes on gas lines, and PSEG Long Island supplies power to every home and business in the hamlet. The northeastern corner of Glen Head is served by the Jericho Water District instead of Liberty Utilities. The Gold Coast Public Library sits in the downtown and serves the hamlet through the Gold Coast Library District.

The 2020 census counted 1,718 households, and 32.6% of them had children under 18 at home. The median age was 45.8 years, 22.0% of residents were under 18 and 20.5% were 65 or older. The census counted 1,787 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.9% and a rental vacancy rate of 6.3%. Glen Head sits in Nassau County’s 11th Legislative district, New York’s 15th State Assembly district and the 3rd congressional district.

Beaches and boating through the Town

Residents use Town of Oyster Bay beaches. Harry Tappen Beach, Marina and Pool has a 267-slip marina, a swimming pool, a boat launching ramp and kayak racks. Stehli Beach offers Long Island Sound swimming and kayak launching. TOBAY Beach and Marina has ocean and bayside beaches, a transient marina and a spray park.

The Town’s beach page lists daily opening from June 27 to September 7, 2026. Harry Tappen sits on Shore Road in Glenwood Landing. The daily entry fee is $25 at all Town beaches, and a seasonal sticker costs $70 per vehicle. Town residents aged 60 and over can obtain a free parking sticker. Eligible volunteers and veterans can buy a resident discount sticker for $35. The beach and park permits guide explains how to apply.