The　urban-rural　difference　in　economy　is　a　key　indicator　of　urban　sustainability　and　socio-economic　development,　especially　when　the　rapid　urbanization　has　taken　place　in　China.　Scientific　understanding　of　the　urban-rural　economy　difference　will　help　the　future　urbanization　process　and　policy　decisions.　Different　from　the　traditional　analysis　based　on　statistical　data,　we　have　conceptualized　the　novel　nighttime　light　landscape　metrics,　by　analogy　to　traditional　landscape　metrics,　to　reveal　the　rural　and　urban　economic　development,　as　well　as　their　differences　from　multi-perspectives　(e.g.,　economic　volume　and　economic　expansion).　Taking　all　towns　in　Fujian　province　as　examples,　we　found　from　2000　to　2020　the　urban　economic　development　presents　a　decoupling　between　the　economic　volume　and　economic　space,　which　satisfies　the　criteria　of　high-quality　urbanization.　The　rural　economy　has　a　rapid　development　mainly　via　the　rural　construction　and　structural　transformation,　which　furthermore　caused　the　differences　between　the　coastal　and　inland　urban-rural　economic　differentiation.　Our　empirical　results　indicate　the　novel　nighttime　light　landscape　metrics　are　valuable　indicators　to　facilitate　the　analysis　of　economy　distribution　and　evolution.　Also,　owing　to　the　conceptualization　of　traditional　landscape　metrics,　the　nighttime　light　landscape　metrics　can　be　further　enriched　to　reveal　more　information　of　economic　development,　even　of　other　fields.　©　2022　Elsevier　Ltd