Covina () is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles. The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census.

Covina is bordered by West Covina, to its south and west side. Irwindale lies to the west, as well as the unincorporated area of Vincent, and the city of Baldwin Park. Azusa and Glendora are to the north, the unincorporated community of Charter Oak to the northeast, San Dimas to the east, the unincorporated area of Ramona and city of Pomona to the southeast.

History Present-day Covina was originally within the homelands of the indigenous Tongva people for 5,000 to 8,000 years. In the 19th century it became part of Rancho La Puente: an 1842 Mexican land grant in Alta California.

In 1876, Costa Rican brothers Pedro and Julián Badilla purchased a tract of land in Rancho La Puente,Cousins’ search for grandfather reveals history of Badillo brothers of Covina. San Gabriel Valley Tribune, November 26, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2026.Grant Deed made by Charlotte M. Rowland, et al., to Pedro Maria Badilla and Jose Julian Badilla, dated September 2, 1876, in Book 45 of Deeds, Pages 293-295, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. where Julián and younger brother Antonio intended to establish a coffee plantation.Pflueger, D. H. (1964). Covina: Sunflowers, Citrus, Subdivisions. Castle Press, Pasadena, California, 372pp. Library of Congress Catalog Number 63-23421. In 1879, after the Badillas defaulted on a mortgage, J. Edward Hollenbeck acquired their tract by foreclosure."Mortgage Sale," Los Angeles Herald, June 5, 1879, p.2.Sheriff's Deed to J. E. Hollenbeck, grantee, dated December 31, 1879, in Book 71 of Deeds, Pages 467-470, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. In 1881, real estate investor Joseph Swift Phillips entered into an agreement with Hollenbeck to purchase a tract of former Badilla land,Agreement to Convey, made and entered into between J. E. Hollenbeck and J. S. Phillips, dated September 7, 1881, in Book 82 of Deeds, Pages 86-88, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. where Phillips subsequently founded Covina in 1884."Building A Citrus City," Covina Argus, May 4, 1912, p.20."Pioneers Honored Tomorrow on Covina's Fiftieth Anniversary," Covina Argus, October 12, 1934, p.1."Covina Celebrates Half Century of Progress in Gala Festival Tomorrow," Covina Citizen, October 12, 1934, p.1. Covina was incorporated in 1901.

Covina was named by Phillips Tract surveyor Fred Eaton who was said to observe the tract's topography and the many vineyards then present on the land and combine the words "cove" and "vine" into the portmanteau "Covina." The name first appeared in print on Eaton's tract mapMap of the Phillips Tract, Rancho La Puente, Los Angeles Co., Cal., Fred Eaton, surveyor. Renshaw Lithographic, 15 Downey Block, Los Angeles, December, 1884. and in newspapers in December, 1884."Neighborhood News," Los Angeles Times, December 13, 1884, p.4.

Covina's extensive orange and lemon groves of the first half of the 20th century brought prosperity and fame to the city. In 1907, Covina claimed to be the third-largest shipping point of oranges in the world."Good Advertising For Covina," Covina Argus, September 7, 1907, p.2. After World War II, however, the citrus groves were increasingly replaced by housing, eventually turning Covina into the suburban bedroom community it is today.

The Covina Valley Historical Society maintains an archive illustrating the city's history in the 1911-built Firehouse Jail Museum, Covina's first municipal building, located immediately behind City Hall in Covina's Old Town.

Opened in 1997, the Covina AMC 30 located at Arrow Highway and Azusa Avenue is one of the busiest theatres in the United States. The movie theater was built on the site of a former Sears building and claims to have the largest movie multiplex in Los Angeles County.

2008 marked both the opening and the charter season of the Covina Center for the Performing Arts, a newly remodeled multimillion-dollar theatrical venue in downtown Covina.

2008 massacre

On December 24, 2008, a shooting and arson occurred. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, entered a Christmas party at his ex-wife's residence and opened fire. When he left, nine family members were dead and the house was engulfed in flames. After the massacre, Pardo drove his rental car to his brother's house in Sylmar, approximately away from the attack. He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The slayings left 15 children without one or both parents.

Geography The only freeway that passes through the area is a very small stretch of Interstate 10. Covina is centered in the midst of Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway) to the north, Interstate 605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) to the west, State Route 57 (Orange Freeway) to the east, and Interstate 10 to the south.

The Southern Pacific Railroad, which reached Covina in 1895,Los Angeles Times, August 19, 1895, p.9. and the Metrolink San Bernardino Line pass through the city just north of the downtown area. The city is served by Covina station.The town is located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of —99.78% of it is land and 0.22% of it is water.

Climate This region experiences hot, dry summers and mild, occasionally rainy winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Covina has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Covina city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)27,81627,20019,80114,28810,05182.86%62.95%42.28%29.89%19.60%Black or African American alone (NH)4441,6412,2451,8061,7481.32%3.80%4.79%3.78%3.41%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2451531631281560.73%0.35%0.35%0.27%0.30%Asian alone (NH)9013,1014,4905,4927,5712.68%7.18%9.59%11.49%14.77%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)8185870.17%0.18%0.17%Other race alone (NH)677088732680.20%0.16%0.19%0.15%0.52%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx1,0988941,279xx2.34%1.87%2.49%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4,27811,04218,87125,03030,10812.74%25.56%40.29%52.37%58.73%Total33,57143,20746,83747,79651,268100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Covina had a population of 51,268. The median age was 38.7 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 16,941 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.9% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,473 housing units, of which 3.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%, and the rental vacancy rate was 3.0%.

2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Covina had a population of 47,796. The population density was . The racial makeup of Covina was 27,937 (58.5%) White (29.9% Non-Hispanic White), 2,013 (4.2%) African American, 532 (1.1%) Native American, 5,684 (11.9%) Asian, 104 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 9,230 (19.3%) from other races, and 2,296 (4.8%) from two or more races. 25,030 (52.4%) Hispanic or Latino of any race were.

The Census reported that 47,361 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 68 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 367 (0.8%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,855 households, out of which 6,396 (40.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,931 (50.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,815 (17.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,072 (6.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 978 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,153 households (19.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,179 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 11,818 families (74.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.43.

The population was spread out, with 11,896 people (24.9%) under the age of 18, 5,043 people (10.6%) aged 18 to 24, 13,113 people (27.4%) aged 25 to 44, 12,174 people (25.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,570 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

There were 16,576 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,256 (58.4%) were owner-occupied, and 6,599 (41.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%. 28,707 people (60.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 18,654 people (39.0%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States census, Covina had a median household income of $66,726, with 11.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

An additional 31,072 residents live in zip codes associated with Covina but outside the city limits, making the total Covina-area population 78,868 at the time of the 2010 census.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 46,837 people, 15,971 households, and 11,754 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 16,364 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 62.10% White, 5.03% Black or African American, 0.90% Native American, 9.82% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 17.18% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. 40.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,971 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,474, and the median income for a family was $55,111. Males had a median income of $40,687 versus $32,329 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,231. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

An additional 30,000 residents live in unincorporated areas of the three zip codes associated with Covina but outside the city limits, making the total Covina-area population 76,417.

Mexican and German were the most common ancestries. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth.

German, English, Irish, Italian and French are the top ancestries. Spanish and Chinese are the most common non-English languages.

Economy Top employers According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: