To explore the latent classes of sleep quality among rural elderly individuals, a purposive sampling method was used to conduct a survey with 1,579 rural residents aged 60 and above in Anhui Province. The results revealed that the sleep quality of these 1,579 rural elderly individuals could be classified into three latent classes: good sleep (59.66%), difficulty falling asleep - insufficient sleep (18.43%), and sleep disturbances (21.99%). Using the good sleep class as a reference, the results of unordered multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that sleep quality was influenced by gender, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and daily living capabilities (P < 0.05). Significant differences in sleep quality were observed among rural elderly individuals, suggesting that identifying distinct sleep characteristics and implementing targeted interventions could help improve their sleep quality and enhance their well-being in later life.