Yabuki is located in the flatlands of south-central Fukushima prefecture, approximately 212 kilometers north of Tokyo.

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Yabuki has remained relatively stable over the past 40 years.

After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Nishishirakawa District in the Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province.

The Imperial Japanese Army established an airfield in Yabuki in 1928, which became a major pilot training base in 1937.

During the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, over 1800 structures were severely damaged or destroyed, corresponding to approximately 30 percent of the town, the largest percentage of any municipality not affected by a tsunami.