Sarcopenia has become a critical health concern in the global older population. However, limited studies have investigated the epidemiological characteristics and potential risk factors of sarcopenia in older individuals residing in rural coastal areas of China. This cross-sectional study involving sarcopenia screening was conducted in Ningbo City, including body composition measurements, and questionnaire surveys. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the criteria outlined in the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 Consensus. A total of 902 older adults aged ≥ 60 years (average age: 69.76 years) were included using a two-stage random sampling method from three villages in Ningbo. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 11.53%, with men (16.36%) exhibiting higher rates than women (7.93%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age (odds ratio [OR]: 6.708, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.520-17.855), stroke (OR: 9.232, 95% CI: 1.917-44.447), and waist circumference (OR: 1.095, 95% CI: 1.030-1.165) as factors positively correlated with the occurrence of sarcopenia. Conversely, body mass index (OR: 0.347, 95% CI: 0.270-0.445) was negatively correlated with sarcopenia development. These findings underscore the need for specific health education, the collaborative prevention of comorbidities, and active screening for sarcopenia in the older population to reduce its disease burden.