Lovelock is located in Pershing County, of which it is the county seat, northeast of Reno between Reno and Winnemucca along Interstate 80 on the banks of the Humboldt River near the Rye Patch Reservoir.
The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 2,204, an increase of 135 since 1990.
Lovelock began as a resting and grazing spot for weary horses and oxen, before crossing the Forty Mile Desert.