Objective To evaluate the vulnerability of rural families in Shandong Province based on risk exposure, sensitivity and coping ability, and to provide a theoretical basis and policy reference for the management of the vulnerability of rural elderly families.Methods Firstly, the evaluation index system of the vulnerability of rural families was constructed from the three dimensions of "exposure level, sensitivity and coping ability". Then, elderly people aged 60 years old and above in rural areas of Shandong Province were selected as the survey subjects to investigate the vulnerability status of elderly care. K-means cluster analysis was used to divide the rural elderly in the survey area into three levels of vulnerability: high, medium and low.Results The elderly with high vulnerability and medium vulnerability accounted for 32.5% and 47.8%, respectively, the elderly with low vulnerability accounted for 19.7%, and there were significant differences in the vulnerability of rural elderly people in different ages, education levels, occupations and marital status (P<0.05).Conclusion There is a certain vulnerability of the rural elderly family pension security in survey areas. It is necessary to focus on the highly vulnerable elderly and provide multilevel elderly care services according to the degree of vulnerability.