Abstract: Small towns are an essential carrier for implementing rural revitalization and new urbanization strategies. Understanding their spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors is significant for optimizing and developing regional small-town spatial patterns. In this study, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous was chosen as the research scope. The spatial distribution characteristics of small towns in Xinjiang were analyzed in depth using the methods of the nearest neighbor index, standard deviation ellipse, and kernel density. A geographic detector model was introduced to explore the impact of natural and socio-economic factors on the spatial distribution of small towns in Xinjiang, identify the dominant driving factors, and investigate the interactions among the factors. The results showed that small towns in Xinjiang were spatially clustered, with an overall orientation of 'southwest-northeast' and a density distribution characterized by 'dense in the northwest and sparse in the southeast'. Population density and road network density were identified as the dominant individual factors that influenced the spatial distribution of small towns in Xinjiang and had strong non-linear and two-factor enhancement-based interactions with other variables. Therefore, in the future construction and development of small towns in Xinjiang, attention should be paid to population density and road traffic. At the same time, the combined effects of multiple factors must be considered. The findings of this study provide an essential reference for formulating small-town construction and development planning in Xinjiang and offer methodological guidance for analyzing the spatial distribution characteristics of small towns and their influencing factors in other regions.