[Objective] Quantitative assessing the spatial difference of ecological vulnerability in Shenmu County of Northern Shaanxi Province in order to provide a support for land use planning and environmental protection. [Methods] Using landscape fractal dimension, fragmentation, dominance, connectivity, human disturbance intensity and topographic index, assessment model was developed from the aspects of ecological supporting pressure, ecosystem sensitivity, and ecological resilience, and entropy weight method was used. [Results] Among the various types of ecosystems, woodland had the highest ecological vulnerability, the grassland and farmland, while the water body and unused land had the lowest one. In the entire 22 towns, Dianta and Yongxing had the highest ecological vulnerability, while Dabaodang and Erlintu had the lowest one. [Conclusion] Ecological vulnerability showed gradually increasing trend from west to east, and from south to north. Moreover, land use pattern, topography, mining and settlement distribution were the major factors affecting the spatial pattern.