The city belongs to the East Westphalian agglomeration, which extends from Gütersloh via Bielefeld and Herford to Minden. The city is located in the Ravensberg hill country between the Teutoburg Forest and Wiehengebirge 15 kilometers northeast of Bielefeld and 46 kilometers east of Osnabrück and roughly halfway between Dortmund and Hanover, which are about 100 kilometers away and which are accessible via the federal motorway 2 and the Hamm – Minden railway line are attainable. Herford is an important business location, which is also due to the favorable traffic situation in the road and rail network.