About two-thirds of the city area is located between the Tone River and the Arakawa River alluvial fan, approximately 60 km from central Tokyo and 45 km from the prefectural capital at Saitama City.

The highest point in the city is Mikajiri Kannon, which is located on the Kushibiki plateau at an altitude of 83.3 meters.

Kumagaya was part of ancient Musashi Province and was controlled by various samurai clans from the Heian period.

During the Edo Period, the area was divided between the holdings of Oshi Domain and tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate.

After the Meiji restoration, the town of Kumagaya was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Kumagaya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 30 members.

November 6, 2021 to present[citation needed] Kumagaya is a major industrial and commercial center within northern Saitama.