Objective To understand the content of cadmium (Cd) in rice and evaluate the potential health risk to local residents. Methods Total of 886 rice samples were collected from Nanning City during 2015-2019, and the content of Cd in rice was determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The health risk assessment model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency was used to assess the health risk of local residents. Results The detection rate of Cd in 886 rice samples was 94.92%(841/886), and the violation rate was 19.19%(170/886). The content of Cd range from 1.50 to 915.00 μg/kg, of which mean and median were 126.85 and 79.00 μg/kg, respectively. The dietary Cd exposure of people aged 6-17 was higher than that of people aged 18 and above. The dietary exposure to Cd was 12.43-23.95 μg/kg BW for people aged 18 and above, and the target hazard quotient(THQ) was below 1; however, the dietary exposure of Cd was 15.42-29.80 μg/kg BW for people aged 6-17, with THQ between 0.62 and 1.19. In Mashan, Shanglin and Longan, the THQ of people aged 6-17 was greater than 1. Conclusion There was a certain contamination of Cd in rice in this city, and might pose potential health risks to the people aged 6-17. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring and control of the contamination.