Since instituting the Reform and Opening policy，variations in the trajectory of economic development in China has led to distinct regional differences in the credit market of Chinese rural areas. In western China，an area in which economic development is comparatively backward，farm households constitute the majority of the rural credit market. Therefore，identifying characteristics of the credit market of farm households in western China is not only beneficial for the economic development of western rural areas but also for the overall growth and stability of rural credit markets. Using the definition of “western areas”outlined by the statistics bureau，this paper generally analyzes the characteristics of both the regular and irregular credit for farm households in western China.