Marine ecosystem services represent the benefits people obtain from the marine ecosystem as a key support for socioeconomic development. The value, structure and spatial distribution of ecosystem services in Jiangsu coastal waters can provide important information for socioeconomic policy and planning. This paper evaluates the ecosystem services in Jiangsu coastal waters and tries to reveal their spatial distribution characteristics based on the national standards, "Technical Directives for Marine Ecological Capital Assessment". Ecosystem services indicators were selected based on the state of the environment and resources in Jiangsu coastal waters. Provision services in Jiangsu coastal waters include mariculture, fishing and oxygen production. Regulating services include climate regulation and waste processing. Culture services include research and tourism. Supporting services include biodiversity and ecosystem diversity support. The spatial distribution of each ecosystem service was obtained using the Kriging interpolation method or "Vector to Raster" method. In 2008, the total ecosystem services value was 42.60 billion CNY in 11800 km² coastal waters of Jiangsu. The value of provisioning services, cultural services, regulating services and supporting services was 22.64 billion CNY, 18.66 billion CNY, 1.27 billion CNY, and 0.034 billion CNY, respectively, accounting for 53.14%, 43.80%, 3.00%, and 0.08%, respectively, of the total value. Yancheng coastal waters had the highest marine ecosystem services value, Lianyungang had medium value and Nantong coastal waters held the lowest value. The spatial density of the ecosystem services value of Jiangsu coastal waters averaged 3.62 million CNY/km², varying between 1.15-849.17 million CNY/km². Lianyungang coastal waters had the highest spatial density of ecosystem services value, Yancheng had medium value, whilst Nantong coastal waters held the lowest spatial density. The spatial density of ecosystem services in coastal waters was mainly dominated by the provisioning and culture services. The spatial density of provisioning service value varied little, however, a huge fluctuation existed in the spatial density of the culture service value: the spatial density of Nantong was 5.80 million CNY/km², Yancheng was 1.19 million CNY/km², and Nantong was only 400 CNY/km². The coastal tourism area and marine protected area showed the highest density of ecosystem services value, while the mariculture area showed a medium density and other areas were at lower density levels. The tourism area had a high recreation service value and the marine protected area had a high ecosystem diversity supporting service. A generally decreasing trend existed from onshore to offshore in Jiangsu coastal waters. From onshore to three nautical miles offshore showed a higher spatial density of ecosystems services value and had 64.16% of total ecosystem services value in Jiangsu coastal waters with many tourism areas, marine protected areas and mariculture areas in this zone. The spatial density of ecosystem services value was mainly determined by mariculture between three and twelve nautical miles offshore, a generally decreasing trend existed in this area with a decreasing mariculture area. The ecosystem services in Jiangsu coastal waters shows comprehensive development and utilization, dominated by both provisioning services and cultural services. Lianyungang was dominated by cultural services, Yancheng was dominated by both provisioning and cultural services and Nantong was dominated by provisioning services. Offshore aquaculture should be developed to increase provisioning services value in Jiangsu coastal waters. Marine parks and fishermen's family hotels should be established in Yancheng, especially in Nantong coastal waters, to increase cultural services value. Ecosystem health should be maintained in coastal waters when promoting the ecosystem services value.