"Don't You Wanna Stay" was met with generally favorable reviews by critics who considered the song as "a classic power ballad".

Both Aldean and Clarkson performed the song on several occasions, notably on the tenth season of American Idol and at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

"[5] On November 10, 2010, "Don't You Wanna Stay" was performed live for the first time by Aldean with Clarkson on the 44th Country Music Association Awards.

[7] Carson James, the label's Senior Vice President for Promotion responded, "If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years in the record business, it is always give radio what they want [...] Our entire promotion staff has spent all night fielding calls and returning texts about getting this song, so we decided it best to release it on Play MPE first thing this morning.

"[7] Myra Dehais of RED Company claimed that the song's rise at adult-radio stations was a result of the company's distribution, saying "This is a proud moment for RED distribution, [...] In crossing a country song over to the adult and pop formats, we can face resistance, since (some) stations have only a slot or two for country music, in order to maintain sonic balance.

[14] Bob Peacock of Roughstock thought that the structure of the song was interesting with its brief four-line verses and "don't you wanna stay's throughout the chorus.

Allison Stewart of The Washington Post called the song "great and gooey", saying that it sounded like "Bryan Adams teaming with Heart in 1984 for a contribution to some alternate universe Footloose soundtrack.

"[17] Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a “thumbs-up”, calling it "a dramatic affair that demonstrates how pop and country can intersect with each other and offer decent results."

He concluded his review with, "'Don't You Wanna Stay' would be a suitable fit for a Foreigner or Whitesnake album, and, though nowhere near a classic, it’s an instant entrant into the 'guilty pleasure' category.

"[20] Gary Trust of Billboard noted that the success of "Don't You Wanna Stay" as a crossover adult-radio hit was due to several reasons; Bob Neumann of WPBB, an adult contemporary radio station, posited that "country and adult stations share listeners [...] so audience may have already been familiar with the song based on its original life at country radio."

[22] On the other hand, Sterling Whitaker of The Boot put "Don't You Wanna Stay" at number six on his list of Top 10 Jason Aldean Songs.

[26] At the 2011 CMT Music Awards, "Don't You Wanna Stay" was nominated for "Collaborative Video of the Year," but lost to Justin Bieber's "That Should Be Me" featuring Rascal Flatts (2010).

[35] On its second week on Billboard Hot 100, the song jumped to number 56 after the singers' performance at the Country Music Association awards.

[42] The accomplishment also made Clarkson as the third American Idol contestant to score a number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.

[44][45] The song held the record as the best-selling country collaboration single in digital history[46] until it was overtaken by Blake Shelton and Pistol Annies' "Boys 'Round Here" in 2014.

[49] On November 10, 2010, Aldean performed the song with Clarkson for the first time at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

"[55] On February 12, 2012, both Aldean and Clarkson performed the song in front of a stage outfitted with giant clock innards at the 54th Grammy Awards.

[58] Sarah Wyland of Great American Country felt that Aldean was professional in handling the technical problem by continuing to sing the song with Clarkson.

[58] However, Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist of the Dixie Chicks, lambasted Aldean's performance in her Twitter account, writing "Well the good thing about his mic going out is suddenly the song got a lot more in tune.

[62] "Don't You Wanna Stay" was covered by Colton Dixon and Skylar Laine in the eleventh season of American Idol.

gave a mixed review of the pair's performance, writing "Skylar handled Kelly Clarkson better than Colton played Jason Aldean on "Don't You Wanna Stay," but she's the country girl, so it made sense.

[66] "Don't You Wanna Stay" was performed by Justin Chain and Shelbie Z in the fifth season of The Voice during the Battle Rounds which was first aired on October 14, 2013.

Natasha Chandel of MTV opined that the pair struggled with their pitch and harmonies during rehearsals but successfully stepped up their game during the live performance.

[67] A similar view was shared by Ashley Lee of The Hollywood Reporter writing, "Throughout rehearsals, neither the motorcycle accident survivor nor the pageant coach could lock in their harmonies during the choruses [...] They ended up blending well onstage.