Agricultural eco-efficiency is a crucial indicator for assessing the coordinated development of agriculture and the environment. Studying its interaction with economic development levels is beneficial for promoting high-quality agricultural development. Based on panel data from 75 cities in East China from 2000 to 2021, this paper used the SBM model to measure agricultural eco-efficiency, conducted spatial correlation analysis with ArcGIS, calculated economic development level’s scores by the entropy method, assesseed coupling coordination degrees and discussed changes in coupling types by the Tapio decoupling-based coupling index. Results showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2021, overall agricultural eco-efficiency and economic development levels in East China increased annually. Jiangsu Province exhibited a significant gap in agricultural eco-efficiency compared to Anhui and Shandong; similarly, the mean difference in economic development levels widened. (2) In terms of spatial correlation, agricultural eco-efficiency increased from northwest to southeast in East China, with Moran’s I index showing a "decrease-increase-decrease" trend. Economic development level demonstrated spatial agglomeration with closely linked relationships. (3) From the perspective of coupling coordination, urban agglomerations in East China shifted from mostly imbalance to overall coordination in later stages, indicating continuously improving coupling relationships. Therefore, cities in East China should strengthen inter-regional connections, adopt rational layouts, pursue sustainable development, and achieve a win-win situation for ecological environmental protection and economic development.