[2] Acushnet is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.

The name "Acushnet", which is also the name of the river the town lies on, comes from the Wampanoag Cushnea, meaning "peaceful resting place near water", originally designating the fact that the tribe which sold the land to the Puritans inhabited the lands leading up to the river.

[3] Acushnet is bordered to the east and northeast by Rochester, to the southeast by Mattapoisett, to the south by Fairhaven, to the west by New Bedford, and to the northwest by Freetown.

The town line between Acushnet, Rochester and Mattapoisett forms a portion of the border between Bristol and Plymouth counties.

The Acushnet River is the town line between it and New Bedford south of Main Street.

[4] A short, 2.8-mile (4.5 km) stretch of Route 105 passes through the northeast corner of town, both entering and exiting through Rochester.

SRTA operates a short bus route through the southern part of town, which links to Fairhaven.

The Middleborough/Lakeville Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system is currently in the process of expanding their route to end in neighboring New Bedford.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau,[5] the mean travel time to work among residents was 28.4 minutes.

As the 2020 census,[5] there were 10,558 residents in the town, with a population density of 573.0 inhabitants per square mile (221.2/km2).

13.1% of residents aged 5 years or older spoke a language other than English at home.

In fiscal year 2008, the town of Acushnet spent 0.87% ($189,813) of its budget on its public library—some $18 per person.

[21] On December 5, 2015, Russell Memorial Library closed its doors to relocate to the former Marie S. Howard School on Middle Road.