To investigate the association between ten single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α/δ/γ and essential hypertension (EH).Participants were recruited within the framework of a cohort populations survey from the PMMJS (Prevention of Multiple Metabolic Disorders and MS in Jiangsu Province) which was conducted in the urban community of Jiangsu province from 1999 to 2007. Eight hundred and twenty subjects (551 non-hypertensive subjects, 269 hypertensive subjects) were randomly selected but were not related to each other. Ten SNP (rs135539, rs1800206, rs4253778 of PPARα; rs2016520, rs9794 of PPARδ; rs10865710, rs1805192, rs4684847, rs709158 and rs3856806 of PPARγ) were selected from the HapMap database. χ(2) test was used to determine whether the whole population was in H-W genetic equilibrium. SHEsis software was used to examine the relations of SNP and linkage equilibrium. Logistic regression model was used to examine the association between ten SNP in the PPAR and EH.Difference on the distribution of four SNP genotypes including rs1800206, rs9794, rs10865710 and rs4684847 between high blood pressure and non-high blood pressure group, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) and normal SBP group, high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and normal DBP group was significant (P < 0.05). After adjusting factors as age, sex, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, high density lipoprotein cholesterol-C, high-fat diet and compared with wild-type gene carriers, the OR (95%CI) of objects with rs1800206 V allele appeared in high blood pressure, high SBP and high DBP were 0.60 (0.41 - 0.89), 0.57 (0.37 - 0.88) and 0.61 (0.39 - 0.96), respectively. The OR (95%CI) of objects with G allele of rs9794 were 0.63 (0.46 - 0.87), 0.51 (0.36 - 0.73) and 0.68 (0.47 - 1.01). The OR (95%CI) of objects with G allele of rs10865710 were 1.62 (1.19 - 2.20), 1.59 (1.14 - 2.22) and 1.53 (1.07 - 2.18), respectively. While the OR (95%CI) of objects with rs4684847 T allele were 1.42 (1.04 - 1.94), 1.38 (1.03 - 1.92) and 1.37 (1.00 - 1.88), respectively.The four SNPs including rs1800206 of PPARα, rs9794 of PPARδ and rs4684847, rs10865710 of PPARγ influenced high blood pressure, high SBP and high DBP to different degrees.