The mayor of the municipality is Jan Riber Jakobsen, representing the Conservative People's Party.

Major communities include Lundsbjerg near the capital, Aabenraa; Sogard to the south, Felsted to the east, and Løjt Kirkeby to the north.

It was formerly the seat of, respectively the German Kreis Apenrade and the Danish Aabenraa County.

The municipality, including the island of Barsø, covered an area of 129 km2 with a total population of 22,132 (2005).

Aabenraa Municipality is home to the only officially recognised ethno-linguistic minority of Denmark proper, the North Schleswig Germans.