Objective To investigate the levels of AIDS knowledge among residents and provide scientific basis for development of health education strategies. Methods Using Stratified sampling method, 400 residents were recruited and interviewed.A structured questionnaire was anonymously administered face-to-face for each participant. Results The awareness rate of AIDS knowledge was 97.5%.Television (55.0%), networks (49.9%) and advertising boards(34.1%)were the top three main sources of AIDS-related knowledge. Conclusion Community residents in Anhui county had a high level of AIDS knowledge, access to AIDS-related knowledge mainly through television and network.The proportion of audio-visual publicity forms should be continued to increase in the future and the accessibility and effectiveness of health education need to be improved.