Kanuma was the castle town for a 25,000 koku feudal domain in the early Edo period.

Even after the domain was suppressed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the area continued to prosper from its location with a number of post stations on the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō.

Kanuma has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tochigi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The city has four public high schools operated by the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education.