Objective/Meaning Studying the key factors of agricultural modernization and rural employment and exploring the coupling and coordination relationship between the two were not only in line with the historical logic of the development of agricultural modernization, but also contribute to classify and guide the development of agricultural modernization in different regions, in order to promote the construction of agricultural powerful country in China and realize the rural revitalization.

Methods/Procedures By selecting the panel data of 21 counties in western Hunan from 2012 to 2021 and starting from the connotation of agricultural modernization, an evaluation system was constructed, and the collaboration between agricultural modernization and rural employment in western Hunan was analyzed by using the coupling coordination model and obstacle degree model.

Results/Conclusions The results showed that the change of agricultural modernization level and the characteristics of rural employment level were consistent in most counties of western Hunan, but the development of the former was better than that of the latter. The dependence between the two was strong, but there was still room to improve the synergy. The index of agricultural production efficiency was superior to the other three indexes, which played a core role in promoting the level of agricultural modernization. It was necessary to increase the support for rural employment and entrepreneurship from the institutional mechanism, classify and guide the development of agricultural modernization in each county and district according to the current level, and form the new momentum for agricultural development through the modes such as improving the technologies. The integration of agriculture and tourism should be carried out in the whole area, and the characteristic agricultural products of each county should be excavated to promote the balanced development of the region.