A fixed effect model and a mediation effect model were built to analyze the impact of digital finance on China's resource-based cities’ economic growth from 2011 to 2020 and its action path, and heterogeneity analysis was made from the perspective of geographical location and economy level. Results show that digital finance significantly promotes economic growth in resource-based cities. Stimulating residents’ consume is an important channel for digital finance to promote economic growth in resource-based cities.Digital finance has heterogeneity in geographical location and economic development for the economic growth of resource-based cities. Finally, policy recommendations for resource-based cities to appropriately utilize digital finance tools to promote sustainable economic development during the critical period of transformation had been provided.