The study aims to understand the variation characteristics of air temperature and its impact on jujube in the hilly region of the loess plateau, and provide decision-making basis for the development of jujube industry. Based on the air temperature data of the jujube planting zones in the hilly region from 1971 to 2010, the spatial-temporal characteristics of temperature variation (including the average temperature of year and each quarter, the annual extreme maximum temperature, the annual extreme minimum temperature) were studied with linear trend estimation, Mann-Kendall analysis, moving T-test analysis and the Morlet wavelet analysis and spatial interpolation. The results showed that: there was an obvious ascending tendency of the annual average temperature and the annual extreme maximum temperature in the past 40 years, but the annual extreme minimum temperature decreased. All of the seasonal temperatures showed an increasing trend, and the temperature increase of winter was the highest, then was that of spring, summer and autumn. The air temperature suddenly rose in the 1980s to the 1990s. The air temperature in winter was the earliest that changed abruptly, followed by the annual average temperature, spring temperature, summer temperature and the annual extreme maximum temperature. There was a 31-year cycle of the air temperature during the 40 years period. Spatial variation of the air temperature had an obvious decreasing tendency from south to north and from west to east in the study area. The temperature increase had certain influence on jujube phonological phase, yield, diseases and insect pests and so on.