Background Community health centers (CHCs) have now served as the primary healthcare facilities especially for older adults in China. There is a paucity in current literature about public satisfaction with CHC services from the perspective of subjective perception. We aimed to identify the perception factors influencing satisfaction with CHC services among older adults or their families, and explore the influence paths, in Banan district of Chongqing, China. Methods A sample survey was conducted among 879 households in 32 communities in Banan district in March 2019 to obtain the basic data. The hypothetical service satisfaction model, the degree of the influence of each perception factor on final satisfaction, and influence paths were analyzed using the Smart PLS 3.0 software. Results A total of 800 households with older adult(s) aged 60 years and over were included in the study. Service expectation (-0.191), perceived quality (0.508) and perceived value (0.441) were the three direct factors influencing the satisfaction with CHC services. Both perceived quality and service expectation could indirectly affect public satisfaction by way of influencing perceived value (0.224 and -0.087, respectively). Conclusions Service expectation, service quality and value recognition are the main factors affecting satisfaction with CHC services. Service quality and accessibility should be improved along with the incremental construction of rational service expectation towards CHCs. Policy and financial inputs and the introduction of well-trained health providers are of great importance. Furthermore, equal access to CHC services should be gradually promoted especially for older adults.