Located roughly 22 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, is the city of Covina. West Covina borders Covina on both the south and west sides. To the west are Baldwin Park, the unincorporated community of Vincent, and Irwindale. To the north are Azusa and Glendora; to the northeast is the unincorporated community of Charter Oak; to the east are San Dimas; to the southeast are the unincorporated communities of Ramona and Pomona.

Warm, dry summers and moderate, sporadically rainy winters are typical of Covina's hot-summer Mediterranean climate, which is represented by the abbreviation "Csa" on climatic maps. As per the Köppen climatic classification system, the average high temperature in this region is between 60°F (16°C) in January and 89°F (32°C) in July. Between 42°F (6°C) in January and 65°F (18°C) in August are the average low temperatures. Based on climate statistics, Covina experiences 18.06 inches (457.7 mm) of precipitation annually, with the wettest months falling between December and March.

Three unified school systems serve Covina: the Covina-Valley Unified School District, which encompasses the majority of the city, the Charter Oak Unified School District, which serves the eastern part, and the Azusa Unified School District, which serves a tiny sliver in the northwest. The Barranca, Ben Lomond, Cypress Valley, Manzanita, and Merwin Elementary Schools, Las Palmas and Sierra Vista Middle Schools, Covina and Northview High Schools, and other Covina-Valley USD schools are all located in Covina. The Badillo, Cedargrove, and Glen Oak Elementary Schools, along with Royal Oak Middle School and Charter Oak High School, are part of the Covina Charter Oak USD school district. Covina is also served by Gladstone Middle School of Azusa USD.

With a cost of living index of 161.7, Covina, California, has a total cost of living that is 7.9 percent lower than the state average but 61.7 percent more than the national average. At $667,900, the typical home price in Covina is 8.9 percent below the California average of $733,500 and 97.5 percent higher than the national average. A two-bedroom apartment may be rented for $2,320 a month, which is $62.2 percent less than the national average and 7.3 percent less than the state average. In Covina, a family should make at least $127,800 a year, and an individual should make at least $72,800.