Rural population loss is a common phenomenon in northeast China, even in the whole country and all over the world, has significantly hindered economic and social development in rural areas, leading to a weakening of growth momentum and even stagnation. In view of this, this paper focuses on Jilin Province, a typical region, and uses key data such as rural resident population, rural employed population, and job supply in the region from 2008 to 2021. Through the comprehensive application of spatial autocorrelation analysis methods and the geographical detector model, it deeply analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution patterns of the rural occupational and residential function-efficiency at the county scale in Jilin Province, the trade-off and synergy relationships, and the driving mechanisms behind them. The results show that: the synergy level of the rural occupational and residential function-efficiency index in Jilin Province has gradually increased over time; the index shows a steady upward trend and spatial clustering characteristics; the index is influenced by a variety of driving factors, and the mechanisms of these factors vary. These findings will help the government formulate sustainable rural development policies and provide a useful reference for promoting comprehensive rural revitalization and development.