Abstract: Over the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, China's urbanization has expanded rapidly, leading to significant changes in the spatial layout and terrain characteristics of rural settlements. However, previous studies have rarely focused on the topographic gradient differences of rural settlements in China and lacked systematic and clear descriptions of regularity. Based on land use remote sensing data and digital elevation model data, this study calculated the slope spectrum and elevation spectrum of rural settlements at national, regional (four major economic zones), and county levels in 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. The terrain gradient characteristics were quantified using Average Rural Settlement Climbing Index (ARCI), Average Rural Settlement Rising Index (ARRI), Upper Limited Slope (ULS), and Upper Limited Altitude (ULA). Standard deviation ellipse analysis was employed to identify spatial distribution trends and gravity center shifts, while digital terrain analysis methods were applied to construct comparative slope and elevation spectra between rural settlements and overall terrain. The results show that: (1) From 1980 to 2020, China's rural settlements expanded from 118,201 km² to 145,041 km², showing steady growth accompanied by obvious regional differentiation. The distribution was characterized by more settlements in the east and fewer in the west, with higher levels of aggregation in the east and greater dispersion in the west. The standard deviation ellipse indicated a persistent northeast-southwest orientation, and the gravity center migrated northwestward by 12.886 km, reflecting a process of spatial redistribution shaped by terrain conditions and development strategies. (2) In terms of slope spectrum, rural settlements exhibited a persistent low-slope preference at the national scale, concentrated within 0° to 0.50°, but gradually expanded toward higher slopes, with the strongest climbing tendency occurring in 2000–2010. At the regional scale, the intersections of rural-settlement and terrain spectra were highest in the West and lowest in the Central and Eastern regions, reflecting clear topographic differences. At the county scale, slope-climbing intensity increased over time, with strong climbing concentrated in western highlands under policy and infrastructure support, while most eastern counties remained weakly climbing. (3) In terms of elevation spectrum, the national average altitude of rural settlements increased by about 10 m from 1980 to 2020, remaining concentrated in low-altitude zones, with the clearest rising tendency from 1980 to 2010. Regionally, the intersections of settlement and terrain spectra showed an east–west gradient, with the East and Central regions dominated by low-altitude plains, the Northeast characterized by slightly higher thresholds, and the West constrained by a high plateau base. At the county scale, most counties did not experience vertical rising, but strong rising occurred intermittently in Tibet, the Northeast forest zone, and southeastern hilly areas, indicating phased and regionally differentiated elevation expansion. Overall, the multi-scale evidence reveals a long term enlargement of rural settlement area, a shift toward slightly steeper slopes under a persistent low-slope preference, and a modest rise in mean elevation with concentrated growth in middle-elevation areas. Incorporating explicit terrain gradient controls into rural settlement optimization is therefore essential to support deep urban and rural integration, coordinated revitalization, and risk-aware land-space governance.