Objective To summarize and analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 585 cases of cutaneous sporotrichosis collected in Jilin province in the last 3 years. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on sporotrichosis cases diagnosed at the Department of Dermatology in the hospital from 2007 to 2009. Results Totally, 585 cases were included in this study. Among these patients, the male/female ratio was 1:1.35 with an average age of 40.5 years and average duration of symptoms of 6.78 months.The age at onset was mainly between 51 and 60 years (22.05%). Sporotrichosis seemed more frequently to occur in winter and spring. The majority (94.19%) of the patients were rural habitants, and 149 (25.47%) patients recalled history of trauma. Fixed form was the most common clinical presentation (56.58%), followed by lymphocutaneous form (39.66%), cutaneous disseminated form ( 1.88% ) and undefined form ( 1.88% ). The predilection sites of sporotrichosis were extremities (50.94%) and face (43.76%). The treatment of sporotrichosis included a 10% solution of potassium iodide, itraconazole and terbinafine alone or in combination. Two hundred and fifty patients were lost to follow up. Of the remaining 335 patients, 289 were cured with an average treatment duration of 2.09 months, 46 were still under follow-up or treatment. Conclusions The case load of sporotrichosis in Jilin province has remained high in recent years. The clinical and epidemic features of sporotrichosis cases in this report are similar to those in previous reports, but the proportion of middle-aged patients and atypical cases increases. Potassium iodide solution, itraconazole and terbinafine are effective and safe for the treatment of sporotrichosis.