It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Kauhajoki is 13,860 (31 March 2016) and the municipality covers an area of 1,299.10 km² (501.59 sq mi) of which 16.46 km² (6.36 sq mi) is inland water (1 January 2016). The population density is 10.67/km² (27.6/sq mi).

Permanent settlement in the Kauhajoki area began in the 16th century and in 1584 chapel was built in Kauhajoki.

During the Winter War between 1939–1940, Kauhajoki hosted the Finnish parliament.

On 23 September 2008, a school shooting at a vocational college in the city left 11 dead, including the gunman, and another woman wounded. The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being the Jokela school shooting in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman died. Before that, only one other school shooting had taken place in the country's history, in Rauma in 1989, leaving two people dead.

Some internationally successful Kauhajokian sports figures include:

Kauhajoki is also known about basketball club Kauhajoen Karhu, which plays in the Finnish first-tier league Korisliiga.

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