People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hillsdale include:
- Danny Aiello III (1957–2010), actor, stuntman and son of actor Danny Aiello.
- Mary Jane Clark (born 1954), suspense novelist.
- Tyler Cowen (born 1962), economist and author, who is an economics professor at George Mason University.
- Reuben L. Haskell (1878–1971), U.S. Representative from New York’s 10th congressional district from 1915 to 1919.
- Buddy Hassett (1911–1997), professional baseball player who played first base in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1942.
- Marion West Higgins (1915–1999), first female Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly.
- Jeff Hostetler (born 1961), quarterback for the New York Giants‘ victory in Super Bowl XXV.
- Charles Kaufman (1928–2016), music educator who taught at the Mannes School of Music from 1975 to 2002.
- Johnny Kucks (1933–2013), pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and won the final game of the 1956 World Series.
- Eddie Lopat (1918–1992), pitcher for the New York Yankees.
- Tanner McEvoy (born 1993), wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.
- Kathleen Noone (born 1945) soap opera/television actress.
- David P. Patterson (c. 1840–1879), president of the Hackensack and New York Railroad and early developer of Hillsdale.
- Jeff Phillips (born 1968), fitness trainer and former actor best known for his work in Guiding Light, As the World Turns and the 1996 film Independence Day.
- Vic Raschi (1919–1988), pitcher for the New York Yankees.
- David Remnick (born 1958), editor for The New Yorker.
- Darren Rizzi (born 1970), assistant special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins.
- Bob Schmetterer (born 1943), advertising executive.
- Celita Schutz (born 1968), judoka who competed on the women’s team in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics and in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Bill Skowron (1930–2012), first baseman for the New York Yankees.
- Benjamin Sommer (born 1964), Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute.
- Mike Vaccaro, lead sports columnist for The New York Post since November 2002.
- Jesse Van Saun (born 1976), retired soccer player who played professionally in Major League Soccer and USISL.
- Teddy Wilson (1912–1986), jazz pianist.
- Jerry Yellin (born 1924), former United States Army Air Forces fighter pilot, who flew the final combat mission of World War II.