[Objective] To measure the characteristics of rural revitalization level change in China's drylands from 2000 to 2022, to reveal the development trend of rural revitalization level and subsystems in China's drylands from multiple perspectives, and to explore the spatial heterogeneity and potential causes of its formation. [Methods] We constructed an evaluation index system from five aspects, including industrial prosperity, ecological livability, civilized rural culture, effective governance, and affluent life, and applied the entropy weight method and Dagum's Gini coefficient method to assess the level of rural revitalization in China's drylands, and analyze the dominant factors of its spatial heterogeneity. [Results] ① The level of rural revitalization in China's drylands in 2022 is relatively low compared with the national average, at 0.343, with obvious differences in the revitalization levels of various subsystems, among which the level of ecological livability is the highest; the level of effective governance is the lowest, but with the largest annual growth rate and increase; and the growth rate of living affluence is slower and the increase is the smallest. Rural revitalization index was “high in the east and low in the west” distribution characteristics, low-value areas accounted for the highest proportion, 55.10%, high-value areas accounted for only 18.36%; ② China's rural revitalization level of arid zones in different climatic types of zones varies significantly. The rural revitalization indexes of sub-humid arid zones are relatively high, and the development potential of semi-arid zones and arid zone jurisdictions is greater; ③ There are obvious differences in rural revitalization characteristics between different city type zones. All indices of rural revitalization in mega-city jurisdictions are at the leading level, and mega-city jurisdictions have the highest annual growth rate, while medium-sized and small city jurisdictions are lagging behind in rural revitalization, with an expanding trend; affluent living and ecological livability are the main factors leading to the differences among the five subsystems of the city-type districts. [Conclusion] China's drylands need to focus on the advantages of rural location and natural ecological characteristics, and formulate precise policies to promote regional rural development according to local conditions.