The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of lymph node ratio (LNR) on the short-term and long-term outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who underwent radical CRC surgery. We retrospectively collected CRC patients who underwent radical surgery from Jan 2011 to Jan 2020 in a single-center hospital. The patients were divided into the high LNR group and the low group according to the median. The baseline information and the short-term outcomes were compared between the high group and the low group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the independent predictors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). A 1:1 proportional propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the selection bias between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the OS and DFS between the two groups in different T stages. A total of 1434 CRC patients undergoing radical surgery were enrolled in this study, and there were 730 (50.9%) patients in the low LNR group and 704 (49.1%) patients in the high LNR group. After the PSM, there were 618 patients in both groups, the baseline characteristics between the two groups had no significant difference (p > 0.05). After comparing the Surgery-related information and The Short-term outcomes, the high LNR group had a longer hospital stay (after PSM, p < 0.01). In univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, age (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), tumor location (univariate analysis, p = 0.020; multivariate analysis, p = 0.024), lymph-vascular space invasion (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), cancer nodules (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), tumor size (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), LNR (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), and overall complications (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01) were independent risk factors for OS, and age (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), tumor location (univariate analysis, p = 0.032; multivariate analysis, p = 0.031), T stage (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p = 0.014), lymph-vascular space invasion (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), cancer nodules (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), LNR (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01), and overall complications (univariate analysis, p < 0.01; multivariate analysis, p < 0.01) were identified as independent risk factors for DFS. The high LNR group had a worse OS in T3 (p < 0.01) and T4 (p < 0.01) as well as a worse DFS in T3 (p < 0.01) and T4 (p < 0.01). No association was found between LNR and postoperative complications, but the high LNR group had a longer hospital stay. LNR was identified as an independent predictor for OS and DFS. Furthermore, high LNR had a worse OS and DFS under T3 and T4 stages. Therefore, LNR was more prognostically significant for CRC patients under T3 and T4 stages.