Urbanization is closely related to urban energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. The process of population urbanization and industrial structure adjustment in urban development are the main drivers of changes in carbon emissions. Based on the panel data of 158 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2015, this study analyzes the urban development characteristics and energy carbon emission characteristics of China from total volume and spatial variation. The study uses panel measurement to analyze the driving characteristics of urban development factors on total urban energy consumption, total carbon emissions, and carbon emissions per unit energy consumption. The results show that for every 0.095% increase in urbanization, the total energy consumption increases by 1%. Although the total urban energy consumption and carbon emissions are decreasing, the carbon emissions per unit energy consumption are increasing. The total energy consumption of secondary and tertiary industries is also increasing. The development of tertiary industries in the city is beneficial for the optimization and adjustment of the energy structure. Based on the findings, some policy suggestions are proposed.