Objective This paper evaluated the feasibility of aortic pulse wave velocity (aoPWV) obtained from the decomposition of single carotid pressure waveform and judged whether the method was suitable for early screening of arterial stiffness. Methods The subjects were 53 healthy people ［22 men and 31 women, mean age: （58.6 ± 13.7）years］ who were free from cardiovascular diseases. Carotid and femoral pulse waveforms obtained simultaneously by pressure sensors were used to calculate carotid-femoral pulse transit time (cfPTT) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). Carotid pressure waveform was decomposed into forward and backward waves through impedance analysis. Aortic pulse transit time (aoPTT) and aortic pulse wave velocity (aoPWV) were determined from cross-correlation of forward and backward waves. The correlation and consistency between aoPTT and cfPTT and those between aoPWV and cfPWV were evaluated. Results aoPTT obtained by decomposition of single carotid pressure waveform significantly correlated to measured cfPTT (r=0.624, P<0.001), intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.621. The correlation coefficient between aoPWV and cfPWV was 0.476 (P<0.001), intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.452. The correlation between aoPWV and cfPWV of older people (age ≥60 years, 29 people) was significantly lower than that of young and middle-aged people (0.267 vs 0.549, P<0.001). Conclusions There is only moderate correlation and consistency between aoPWV obtained by decomposition of single carotid pressure waveform and measured cfPWV, and the correlation is lower in older people group. Decomposition of single carotid pressure waveform may not be suitable for measurement of aoPWV in older people.