Objective To understand the current status and potential categories of compassion fatigue among senior nurses in Jiangsu province, and to analyze its influencing factors, so as to provide a reference for the human-centric management of senior nurses. Methods Using convenience sampling, 3 509 senior nurses in central, southern and northern Jiangsu with a working tenure of ≥10 years were selected, then they were investigated by utilizing a general information questionnaire, Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5 (ProQOL-5), and the Chinese Version of Perceived Nursing Work Environment (C-PNWE). Results The burnout score of senior nurses was (24.58±6.50), secondary traumatic stress score was (26.80±6.07), and compassion satisfaction score was (36.57±7.38). Among them, 2 386 (68.0%) experienced moderate or higher level of compassion fatigue. Latent profile analysis revealed three potential categories of compassion fatigue: compassion fatigue dominant group (32.00%), moderate level of compassion fatigue group (63.12%), and compassion fatigue stress group (4.87%). Logistic regression analysis showed that, job position, monthly income, shift schedule, and perception of the work environment were influencing factors for different potential categories of compassion fatigue (all P<0.05). Conclusion Compassion fatigue among senior nurses has three potential categories, which indicates group heterogeneity. Nursing managers should adopt diversified and human-centric management strategies, so as to boost senior nurses′ enthusiasm for work and reduce their compassion fatigue.