The emission load of VOCs and PM in China is huge， and the atmospheric environment in northwest China is characterized by high sand and dust volume and low humidity， and the level of secondary pollution has been increasing in recent years， and the scientific understanding of the characteristics and effects of atmospheric pollution in this region needs to be improved urgently. In this paper， volatile organic compounds （VOCs）， PM （PM₁₀， PM_2.5 and PM₁） and their fractions （water-soluble inorganic ions， carbonaceous aerosols and inorganic elements） were sampled and analyzed in the atmosphere of thirteen cities in Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region （Gansu-Xinjiang region） based on proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry （PTR-MS） and particulate matter （PM） collection and analysis techniques. The pollution characteristics and health risks of VOCs and PM in the urban atmosphere of Gansu-Xinjiang region were investigated. The main results were： （1） The pollution characteristics analysis showed that the average total VOCs （TVOCs） concentration was （41.84±7.56） ppbv， oxygenated VOCs （OVOCs） were the important components of VOCs， and the total concentration of VOCs components was higher than that of other cities at home and abroad， mainly methanol， while aromatic hydrocarbons were lower than that of other cities. the average concentrations of PM₁₀， PM_2.5 and PM₁ had average concentrations of （139.39±32.63） μg·m^-3， （77.66±25.39） μg·m^-3 and （44.76±17.59） μg·m^-3， respectively， and water-soluble inorganic ions （WSIIs） were important components of PM in the region. （2） Health risk assessment showed that the non-carcinogenic risk of VOCs in the region was significant and the carcinogenic risk of VOCs was at an acceptable level； The non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in PM were both significant. The non-carcinogenic risk of acetaldehyde and the carcinogenic risk of naphthalene are high， and the non-carcinogenic risk of Mn and the carcinogenic risk of As are high， so the control of acetaldehyde， naphthalene， Mn and As elements should be strengthened to reduce the risk of air pollution to human health.