Six plant species, Stipa bungeana, Agropyron mongolicum Keng, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Cynanchum komarovii Al., Artemisia ordosica, and Sophora alopecuroides dominate the desertified steppe ecosystems in Ningxia, northern China. However, the distribution of soil nutrients and microbial biomass in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere areas of these six plant species in this region has been largely unknown. This study investigated soil nutrients, microbial biomass, and soil physicochemical properties in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere areas of these six desert plant species, together with soil physicochemical properties. The results showed that rhizosphere enrichment followed the order shrub (A. ordosica) > Leguminosae (S. alopecuroides, G. uralensis Fisch.) > Gramineae (S. bungeana, A. mongolicum) > Compositae(C. komarovii Al.). In the rhizosphere area, a significant enrichment effect (P < 0.05) was found on the soil nutrients and microbial biomass, but not on the total phosphorus (TP) (P > 0.05). The rhizosphere enrichment effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) was more pronounced than the other indices (i.e., soil nutrients and physicochemical properties), and soil nutrient availability was more sensitive to the changes in the rhizosphere among plant species. In the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil of different desert plant species, a significant linear correlation was observed (P < 0.01) between SOC and total nitrogen (TN) and a significant linear correlation between TN and alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (P < 0.01), but no significant correlation was observed between TP and available phosphorus (AP) (P > 0.05). The results suggested that the rhizosphere enrichment effect occurred for many desert plant species. Shrubs and leguminous plants had a significantly higher rhizosphere effect than the other herbaceous species. Rhizosphere enrichment effect was found to increase soil nutrients by reducing soil pH, and this was beneficial for the efficient utilization of soil nutrients in the susceptible desertified steppe ecosystems.