Objective To investigate the characteristics and influencing factors of mental health status of permanent residents in Yichang, Hubei Province. Methods A total of 9 576 permanent residents aged 18 years and older from Yichang City were selected by a multistage random sampling method between June and October 2022. The PHQ-9 was used to assess the residents’ depressive symptoms, the GAD-7 was used to assess their anxiety symptoms, the ISI was used to assess their insomnia status, and the PCL-5 was used to assess their stress status. The influence factors of depression and anxiety were analyzed using χ2 test and logistic regression. Results A total of 9 122 valid questionnaires were completed. The detection rate of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress symptoms were 29.98%, 19.03%, 11.97% and 1.58%, respectively. Gender, education level, monthly family income, self-rated health status, mental health literacy level, total GAD-7 score, total ISI score, and total PCL-5 score were the main factors that caused residents' anxiety symptoms, while gender, education level, self-rated health status, total PHQ-9 score, total ISI score, and total PCL-5 score were the main factors that caused residents' anxiety symptoms. Conclusion The prevalence of depression and anxiety is high among the permanent residents in Yichang, while the situation of insomnia and stress is relatively good. Measures such as improving the level of mental health literacy can be taken to improve mental health level of residents in Yichang.