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The assessment of the health status perception is increasingly used in monitoring the health of populations. This assessment is useful to the planning of a comprehensive, multidimensional and dynamic intervention in the elderly, envisaging a successful aging.The area of residence is one of the determining factors to the perception of health status and may also condition its relationship with other factors which affect health (Araujo & Ramos Lopes, 2011). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the health status perception and sociodemographic and clinical variables in elderly living in rural areas. Methods: A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive and cross-sectional study was designed applying a questionnaire consisting of a generic health instrument SF - 36v2 and sociodemographic and clinical questions to a sample of 27old people (82% of a rural community in the north of Portugal). Data were collected in 2013. Results and Conclusions: Results are lower than the average values of reference to the Portuguese population (Ferreira & Santana, 2003). Significant differences were found in relation to sociodemographic and clinical variables. We also concluded that the youngest, men, married ones, those who live in their households, the ones who have the help of the family and friends when they need and those who didn’t report any disease have a better perception of their health status. Among those who reported suffering from cardiovascular and osteoarticular diseases, the first ones showed a better perception of their health status.