East Meadow is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead.Its name is derived from being the meadow of Hempstead Plains east of the Meadow Brook. Many residents commute to Manhattan, which is 30 miles away.The population was 38,132 at the 2010 census. East Meadow's postal ZIP code is 11554, and its telephone area code is 516.