Generally, studies on runoff and sediment change on the Loess Plateau are based on model simulation or measured data analysis. The model simulation method has better prospects for causal analysis of runoff and sediment changes through flexible parameter adjustment21,22. However, the model can only be used to abstract and generalize natural phenomena, and cannot fully reveal the occurrence and evolution mechanism of natural phenomena23. Therefore, it is still an effective method to study the variation of runoff and sediment using measured data. Studies have shown that research on runoff and sediment change using measured data has the following characteristics24: (i) The spatial scales are mainly concentrated on runoff plots and slope surfaces when investigating the influence of rainfall intensity and vegetation on rainfall-runoff and sediment yield. These small-scales can not sufficiently reflect the regional variation rules of water and sediment for large spatial scales25,26. (ii) The impact of annual rainfall on runoff and sediment has been considered to be a key priority when the spatial scale expands to larger areas, but the influencing effects of rainfall intensity during one precipitation on runoff and sediment yield in large spatial scales will be weakened27,28. (iii) Statistical analysis is an important method to study rainfall-runoff interactions29. Cluster Analysis is an unsupervised learning process to find one set of similar elements in a data set, it is of great significance to policy decisions on soil and water conservation. Therefore, it is necessary to study correlations between runoff and sediment yield under individual monitoring rainstorm events in a typical small watershed of the Loess Plateau.