BackgroundIn the southern part of Xinjiang, the incidence and mortality rates of the cervical cancer among Uyghurs are significantly higher than those of other ethnic groups living in the same environment, and their mortality rate takes the first place among ethnic minorities in China.ObjectiveTo assess the level of cervical cancer knowledge by Questionnaire survey using the scoring system and its influencing factors among women in Shache county, Kashi, China.MethodBased on the cervical cancer health education carried out by the medical team of the county hospital to the residents in the urban and rural areas of Shache County from September 1st, 2022, to September 30th, 2022, a cluster sampling was conducted at the same time and a total of 2578 women were included. The questionnaire survey includes resident basic information, and their knowledge about cervical cancer which was evaluated by the scoring system. The scoring system of the knowledge about cervical cancer includes 4 items, the total score was 8 point and scored more than 4 points was used as knowledge knowing, the knowledge of cervical cancer (unknown = 0; known = 1) was used as the dependent variable. Six factors include residence area (urban or rural), age, ethnic group, educational level, occupation, and the ways to acquire knowledge access were used as independent variables. The retrieved questionnaire was entered by the medical staff, and the Excel software was used for duplicate verification. Chi-square test and unconditional logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.ResultsOf the 2578 study subjects, 1591 were from rural areas and 987 were from the urban areas, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Based on the scoring system of the knowledge about cervical cancer, the knowledge knowing accounts for only 34.1%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that living in the urban(AOR = 1.358,95% CI:1.111–1.659), occupation of non-farming and non-housewife(AOR = 2.680,95%CI:2.126–3.377), education level of high school and above(AOR = 1.388,95%CI:1.125–1.712), and four or more access to knowledge(AOR = 1.446,95%CI:1.099–1.903) were protective factors for cervical cancer knowledge knowing.ConclusionBased on the questionnaire survey, the level of cervical cancer knowledge among women in Shache county was inadequate. Considering above mention influencing factors, it is necessary for the medical and health institutions to take various measures to carry out targeted health education on cervical knowledge for women in Shache county.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-023-02390-4.