To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of young patients with stroke. Methods: A total of 146 young stroke patients and 628 elderly stroke patients hospitalized during the same time period were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Clinical characteristics and risk factors exposure of these patients were analyzed. Results: The constituent ratios of both cerebral hemorrhage and male patients in the youth group were significantly higher than those in the elderly group (P<0.05). According to the exposure percentages of risk factors, the ratio of hypertension was the highest in both groups, and there was no obvious different between the youth group and the elderly group (P>0.05). Compared to the elderly group, the youth group showed significantly higher constituent ratios of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperuricemia (all P<0.05). Regarding interventions to risk factors, the percentage of patients taking antihypertensive drugs was significantly lower in the youth group than that in the elderly group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The risk of stroke is higher for young men than for young women. The incidence of hemorrhagic stroke is higher in young people than that in elderly people. Risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperuricemia have greater influence on the occurrence of stroke in the youth than in the elderly. An unhealthy lifestyle and the lack of attention to antihypertensive treatment could be some of the main causes of stroke in young people with hypertension.