While the association between established CHD and high oxidized LDL (oxLDL) is well demonstrated, that with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical CVD is less clear. 879 subjects from different ethnic groups with neither clinical CVD nor statin use were studied, oxidized LDL (oxLDL) being measured using a monoclonal antibody based ELISA. Subclinical CVD was defined as plaque occurrence in carotid arteries with ≥25 stenosis, ankle-brachial blood pressure index <0.9 and coronary calcification based on Agatston calcium score ≥200. In multivariate analyses, variations in oxLDL were mostly explained by adverse levels of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, elevated fibrinogen, male gender, black ethnicity, and current smoking. In bivariate analyses, subjects with subclinical CVD had significantly higher levels of oxLDL, even after adjustment for other risk factors, although the latter accounted for a significant component of the association between oxLDL and subclinical CVD.