Context <p>A deeper understanding of the relationship between urban expansion and ecosystem services (<i>R</i>_{<i>UE&amp;ESs</i>}) is closely linked to achieving sustainable development goals and enhancing human well-being. Socioeconomic factors play an important role in the relationship, but how they have an impact at different spatial scales remains unclear.</p> Objectives <p>The objectives of our study are to clarify the influence of socioeconomic factors on the <i>R</i>_{<i>UE&amp;ESs</i>} and identify key influencing&#xa0;factors at different scales.</p> Methods <p>We constructed a multiscale analytical framework, and by combining the correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, and Geodetector model, we quantified the differences in the effects of socioeconomic factors on the relationship at three scales of province, urban agglomeration, and county in China.</p> Results <p>The results indicate that the influence of socioeconomic factors on <i>R</i>_{<i>UE&amp;ESs</i>} can be either enhancing or weakening, depending on the ES types. Moreover, the key socioeconomic factor at different scales also varies. The interaction of socioeconomic factors with urban expansion considerably increases their explanatory power for ESs compared to single factors, suggesting that socioeconomic factors mainly acted on ESs changes indirectly through urban expansion. Moreover, clear administrative boundaries can affect the relationship between socioeconomic development, urban expansion, and ESs.</p> Conclusions <p>The findings highlight that linking socioeconomic, urban expansion, and ES changes at multiple scales can provide multi-level guidance for landscape management and planning-related sustainable development decisions.</p>