The survival benefit of metastasectomy (MSX) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains unclear. A reliable model to predict an individuals' risk of cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and to identify optimal candidates for MSX is needed. We identified 2,911 mRCC patients who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2010-2015). Based on the Fine and Gray competing risks analyses, we created a nomogram to predict the survival of mRCC patients. Decision tree analysis was useful for patient stratification. The impact of MSX was assessed among three different subgroups. Overall, 579 (19.9%) cases underwent MSX. In the entire patients, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year cumulative incidence of CSM were 32.8, 47.2, and 57.9%, respectively. MSX was significantly associated with improved survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.875, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.773-0.991; P = 0.015). Based on risk scores, patients were divided into three risk groups using decision tree analysis. In the low-risk group, MSX was significantly associated with a 12.8% risk reduction of 3-year CSM (HR = 0.689, 95% CI 0.507-0.938; P = 0.008), while MSX was not associated with survival in intermediate- and high-risk groups. We proposed a novel nomogram and patient stratification approach to identify suitable patients for MSX. The newly identified patient subgroup with a low-risk of CSM might benefit more from aggressive surgery. These results should be further validated and improved by the prospective trials. Copyright © 2020 Wu, Liu, Shao and Li.