Information on rhabdomyolysis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) in the emergency department or general ward is limited. We assessed the risk factors, outcomes, and clinical correlates with intensive care unit (ICU) transfer among patients with rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI. Patients with rhabdomyolysis were divided into the rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI group and the rhabdomyolysis without AKI group. In-hospital outcomes, including ICU transfer, mortality, length of stay, daily cost and renal recovery were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the association between rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI and ICU transfer. Among 149 patients with rhabdomyolysis, 68 (45.6%) developed AKI. Age and urine protein were important risk factors for rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI. Patients with rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI had higher levels of undergoing dialysis (19.1% versus 2.5%, p < 0.01), all-cause mortality (13.2% versus 1.2%, p < 0.01), cost of hospitalization [10.8 1,000 yuan, IQR (5.5, 3.5) versus 5.9 1,000 yuan, IQR 5.9 (3.6, 9.9), p = 0.03], as well as longer length of hospital stay [8.0 days (5.0, 14.0)] versus [6.0 days (4.0, 11.0)], p = 0.02). Additionally, the percentage of patients with AKI who transferred to ICU was higher than patients without AKI (33.8% versus 12.3%, p < 0.002) and rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI was an independent risk factor for ICU transfer (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-6.8, p = 0.03). Rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI was common in the emergency department or general ward and led to more severe outcomes. It was also associated with the risk of ICU transfer. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.