Aim: Cardiotrophin-1 null mice presented decreased arterial stiffness. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between cardiotrophin-1 and arterial stiffness, assessed by brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV). Methods: We enrolled 300 subjects, 200 with baPWV >1400 and 100 with baPWV ≤1400 cm/s. Results: Cardiotrophin-1 levels were significantly higher in subjects with baPWV >1400 than those with baPWV ≤1400 cm/s. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, prehypertension, hypertension and cardiotrophin-1 were independently associated with baPWV >1400 cm/s after adjusting for gender, obesity, diabetes, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, creatinine, smoking and habitual exercise. Conclusion: Cardiotrophin-1 is positively related to baPWV independent of traditional cardiometabolic risk factors for arterial stiffness.