Objective To study the characteristics, potential categories and influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in Chinese veterans based on variable-centered and person-centered settings. Methods Stratified sampling and convenient sampling methods were used. A total of 2 428 veterans from 12 cities of China were investigated through self-compiled general questionnaire and PTSD checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5). Variable-centered method was used to calculate the incidence and characteristics of PTSD symptoms, and person-centered method was used to classify the potential categories, and multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of each category. Results The positive rate of PTSD symptoms was 13.7% (333/2 428) in Chinese veterans. The risk factors were as follows: female (odds ratio ［OR］ ＝1.96, 95% confidence interval ［CI］ 1.21-3.20), 25-30 years old (OR＝3.08, 95% CI 1.01-9.36), divorce (OR＝2.64, 95% CI 1.19-5.89), suffering from serious illness (OR＝2.73, 95% CI 1.86-4.00), and serving in special military environment (OR＝1.56, 95% CI 1.13-2.16). PTSD symptoms of Chinese veterans were divided into 3 potential categories: mild symptom group, moderate symptom group, and severe symptom group. With the mild symptoms group as the reference, high per capita gross domestic product (OR＝3.15, 95% CI 1.25-7.93), suffering from serious illness (OR＝2.83, 95% CI 1.27-6.33) and awards during service (third class and above: OR＝6.30, 95% CI 1.51-26.31; commendation: OR＝4.83, 95% CI 1.30-17.93) were the risk factors of the moderate symptom group, while suffering from serious illness (OR＝8.08, 95% CI 1.66-39.43) and participation in war (OR＝15.03, 95% CI 1.41-159.82) were the risk factors of the severe symptom group. Conclusion Demographic variables are the main factors affecting the development of PTSD symptoms of Chinese veterans, and military stress events during service are the main factors influencing the severity.