Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of 2 859 patients with hip fractures, so as to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of elderly patients with hip fractures. Methods The clinical data of 2 859 patients with hip fractures in Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2016 were collected, including age, gender, injury mechanism, fracture type, injury-operation time, hospital stays, bleeding volume and operation method. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of elderly patients with hip fractures. Results (1) The total number of in-patients with hip fractures in our hospital increased annually, with the proportion of femoral neck fractures being the highest (1 602/2 859, 56.03%), followed by intertrochanteric fractures. (2) The age of the patients with hip fractures was 52-104 years old, and there was a significant difference in the age distribution (P<0.05), with the patients aged 71-80 years being the most majority, accounting for 37.39%(1 069/2 859). (3) The proportion of female patients with hip fractures (1 916/2 859, 67.02%) was higher than that of male patients (943/2 859, 32.98%). (4) The distribution of injury mechanism was significantly different (P<0.05). The number of fractures caused by walking falls was the highest, accounting for 87.65% (2 506/2 859). (5) The distribution of fracture types was significantly different in different genders (P<0.05). The proportion of femoral neck fractures was higher in female patients, while the proportion of intertrochanteric fractures was higher in male patients. (6) The incidences of hip fractures were the highest in patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, accounting for 26.76% (765/2 859) and 25.85% (739/2 859), respectively. Conclusion Femoral neck fractures and intertrochanteric fractures are the most common types in elderly patients with hip fractures. The distributions of age, gender, injury mechanism and complications of elderly patients have certain epidemiological characteristics, which provides clue to further improve the prevention and treatment of hip fractures.