<p>Understanding spatial distribution of soil nutrients and associated soil properties is essential for adoption of site-specific nutrient management strategies. Apart from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium deficiency, the deficiency of sulphur (S) and micronutrients is widespread in soils and crops worldwide. We, therefore, conducted the present study to evaluate spatial distribution patterns and prepare distribution maps of soil properties, available sulphur (AS) and available micronutrients [zinc (AZn), iron (AFe), copper (ACu), manganese (AMn) and boron (AB)] and nutrient management zones (MZs) in agricultural soils of Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh, India. For this purpose, 510 georeferenced surface soil samples were collected from agricultural field by following stratified random sampling method and analysed for soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), AS, and available micronutrients. Soil pH, EC and SOC content varied from 6.15 to 9.12, 0.10 to 0.46 dS m⁻¹ and 0.10 to 1.18%, respectively. The concentration of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn and AB varied widely, with 34.5–62.6% of coefficient of variation. Geostatistical analysis revealed exponential best-fit model (having mean square error from − 0.005 to 0.116) with weak to strong spatial dependency for soil parameters. Distribution maps revealed varied distribution patterns of soil parameters with different levels of nutrient deficiencies. The generated distribution maps could be used for variable rate fertilizer application in the studied area. Principal component analysis reduced variables to two principal components with eigenvalues &gt; 1, explaining 48.9% of variance. The datasets were divided into two to nine clusters resulting in two soil nutrient management zones (MZs) with significantly different soil parameters. This underscores the effectiveness of MZ delineation as a tool for site-specific soil nutrient management in cultivated areas, promoting sustainable crop production.</p>