The economy is agriculture intensive, but in recent years is also dependent on Educational sector and its allied activities.

[6] It was, over the centuries, variously ruled by the Satavahanas, the Sakas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri, the Delhi Sultans, the Bahamani rulers of South India, Adilshahi, and the Mughals.

In 1905 it was merged with surrounding areas and renamed Latur tehsil, becoming part of Osmanabad district.

[8] Latur is situated 636 metres above mean sea level, on the Balaghat plateau, near the Maharashtra–Karnataka state boundary.

It receives its drinking water from the nearby Manjira River, which suffered from environmental degradation and silting in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Extreme weather episodes, including torrential rainfall and even hailstorms in summers, have been showing up in Latur for over a decade now.

[14] On 30 September 1993, at 3:53 a.m. local time, Latur was almost completely destroyed by a devastating intraplate earthquake that affected the southern Marathwada region of Maharashtra state in central-western part of India—including Latur, Beed, Osmanabad, and adjoining districts about 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-east of Mumbai—and resulted in a huge loss of life.

The earthquake measured only 6.3 on the Richter magnitude scale, but its focus was relatively shallow, at around 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) deep.

The quake caused around 10,000 deaths [15] and 30,000 were injured, mainly due to the poor construction of stone houses and huts which collapsed on people who were fast asleep.

After the earthquake, seismic zones were reclassified, and building codes and standards revised, all over India.

Latur's population, as of the 2011 census, is 382,940. it has a sex ratio of 937 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 84.22%.

of Maharashtra expressed its desire vide letter dated 30/10/2006 to notify fringe area of Latur and appoint CIDCO as its Special Planning Authority.

The city is the birthplace of Shivraj Patil, who served as home minister of India, Amidst national political controversy is the death, on 1 December 2014, of judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya of the Central Bureau of Investigation, who was addressing the case involving Amit Shah, the national leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and who was cremated at his native village of Gategaon.

The district is known in Maharashtra for its "Latur Pattern" of study, which involves intensive coaching given in the city.

Students of junior colleges in Latur have a good record in taking competitive engineering and medical entrance exams.

Polytechnic courses of Civil, Computer and Mechanical are also available for the students of this region in this reputed college campus.

The Maharashtra Institute of Medical Science & Research Latur was founded in 1988 by Vishwanath Karad.

Latur is home to a branch of the Western India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, along with an exam centre, Information Technology training lab, reading room, and a library for Chartered Accountants as well as for students.

Maharashtra Academy for Education and Research (MAERS Pune) runs a private medical college known as Maharashtra Institute of Medical Sciences and Research MIMSR and Yeshwantrao Chavan Rural Hospital, Latur.

The city is a major sugarcane and edible oils, soybean, grapes and mango production centre.

So for benefit of farmers Keshavrao Sonavane had established Dalda Factory which was Asia's first oil mill set up on cooperative terms.

This was the time when the industrial development of the Marathwada region began, propelled through designated backward area benefits.

Latur is also known for high quality grapes and houses many state and privately owned cold storage facilities.

A grape wine park spread over 1.42 square kilometres (350 acres) has been established near Ausa, 18 km from Latur city.

Latur got its title "Sugar Belt of India" largely due to the efforts of its cooperative political leader Keshavrao Sonawane, who was instrumental in setting up several co-operative institutions in Latur, Osmanabad, and elsewhere in Maharashtra.

Latur is connected by roads with various major cities of Maharashtra and other states.

The old and centrally located Latur Railway Station on metre gauge was abandoned thereafter.

Latur has rail connectivity with Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Manmad, Aurangabad, Nanded, Parbhani, Parli Vaijnath, Osmanabad, Mudkhed, Adilabad, Basar, Nizamabad, Nashik and Kacheguda.

Located near the Harangul Railway Station, the factory was set up by the Indian Raillways' undertaking Rail Vikas Nigam Limited RVNL in 2018.