The soil nutrient status and spatial distribution characteristics in Nanchong city were studied to divide suitable areas for citrus cultivation. Through the detection and analysis of 11 nutrient indexes in the soil of the whole city，the spatial distribution map of each nutrient index was constructed by ArcGIS technology，and the suitable cultivation area was divided according to the fertilizer requirement law of citrus. The results showed that the soils in Nanchong city was alkaline，with a severe lack of available manganese content. The contents of organic matter，alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen，available boron and available zinc were relatively low. Contents of available potassium，available copper and available sulfur were suitable，and the contents of available phosphorus and available iron were extremely rich. The spatial distribution model of nutrient indicators showed that the soil alkalinity in Peng’an and Xichong counties was high，the available phosphorus was mainly concentrated in Jialing district，the available nitrogen and available copper were relatively concentrated in Peng’an，the available iron and available boron were concentrated in Langzhong and Xichong，respectively，and the available potassium content was increased gradually from north to south. According to the division of suitable areas，the proportions of unsuitable，sub-suitable，suitable，relatively most suitable and most suitable areas were 0.61%，17.53%，55.90%，24.93% and 1.03%，respectively. Inappropriate and sub-suitable areas were distributed in various districts and counties，mainly concentrated in Yingshan，southern regions，etc. The main reasons were that the pH was too high，the content of organic matter and other elements were too low. The proportion of suitable areas was the highest，with concentrated and contiguous distribution in all districts and counties. The relatively most suitable areas were mainly concentrated in Peng’an，Langzhong and Gaoping. The most suitable area was only distributed in nine townships. In the suitable area and above，the soil characteristics were that the average pH value was gradually decreased，the soil organic matter content was gradually increased，and the contents of other nutrients tended to be rich and extremely rich levels. Overall，there were significant differences in the distribution of soil nutrients in Nanchong city，with a high degree of dispersion. It was necessary to focus on improving alkaline soil and enhancing overall fertility，and adopt targeted fertilization plans based on the regional distribution characteristics of nutrients. More than 80% of the city’s areas were suitable for citrus cultivation，and were relatively concentrated in Peng’an and Langzhong.