Objective The objective of this study was to appraise the prognostic impact of lymph nodes in patients diagnosed with pT1c33N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to delve into the prognostic significance of lymph nodes located at the N1 lymph node station in this patient cohort. Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted for 255 patients diagnosed with pT1c33N0M0 NSCLC. Lymph nodes were tabulated and categorized into three groups (0–10 nodes, 11–16 nodes, >16 nodes). Clinical data among these three groups of pT1c33N0M0 NSCLC patients were compared. We conducted both univariate and multivariate analyses to pinpoint the factors that impact the prognosis of patients with pT1c33N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, we employed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to pinpoint the optimal lymph node criteria at the N1 station for prognostic prediction in pT1c33N0M0 NSCLC patients. Results Within the cohort of 255 individuals afflicted with pT1c33N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a comprehensive tally of 3,902 lymph nodes was diligently established, yielding an average of 15.3 nodes for each patient. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor size, T stage, and lymph nodes were independent factors significantly impacting the prognosis of pT1c33N0M0 NSCLC patients (P