This paper analyzes the trend of land use transition of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin under the background of rapid urbanization, discusses the impact of land use transition on ecosystem service value in this region, and provides scientific basis for the realization of green transition and development of resource-based cities. The ArcGIS spatial analysis method is used to explore the transition of land use structure and spatio-temporal pattern, and the evaluation method of the ecosystem service value of the resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is built to analyze the changes of the ecosystem service value of the resource-based cities in different types and regions. On this basis, the impact of different types of land use transition on the ecosystem service value is explored. The results show that:(1) in the past 20 years, along with the rapid urbanization process, the resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin have undergone obvious land use transition. The scale of grassland, cultivated land, and woodland conversion were large, the construction land was expanding, and the cultivated land was decreasing; (2) In 2020, the total value of ecosystem services in the study area was 1.222 trillion yuan, showing an increasing trend, and forming a spatial pattern of high in the middle-low in the east and west; (3) In city level, the ecosystem service value of resource-based cities showed a spatial pattern of high in the north and low in the south, high in the middle and low in the east. The ecosystem service value per unit area of mature and regenerative resource-based cities and resource-based cities in the midstream area were relatively high; (4) The mutual transition among grassland, cultivated land, and woodland were the main transition types leading to the change of ecosystem service value. In order to enhance the ecosystem service value of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, effectively play the role of the ecosystem, and build a regional ecological security system, first of all, the land space use control system should be implemented strictly, and the stability of forest land, grassland and cultivated land should be maintained; Secondly, the expansion trend of construction land should be strictly controlled, and the loss of ecosystem service value caused by the occupation of cultivated land or ecological land for construction should be slowed down; Thirdly, the ecological utilization efficiency of unused land should be steadily improved; Finally, the differentiated management scheme to enhance the ecosystem service value of resource-based cities should be actively explored.