Located at the lower reaches of the Yellow River, it has 11 counties (county-level cities and districts), Dezhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dezhou Canal Economic Development Zone, and Dezhou High-tech and Technological Industrial Development Zone with a land area of 10,300 square kilometers and a population of 5.79 million. It is the place where the culture of Yan and Zhao, the Canal culture and the Shandong culture converge.

Dezhou is within the one-hour economic circle of Beijing. It only takes 4 hours from here to Shanghai, and the distance between Dezhou and Xiongan New Area is only 240 kilometers. Dezhou also has an export advantage as it is close to Tianjin Port and Qingdao Port. The city has formed such strategic emerging industries as high-end equipment manufacturing, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, new generation of information technologies, medical and health care, green chemicals, textile and garment, modern and high-efficiency agriculture, culture and tourism, modern logistics, and modern finance. The coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has given the city clear missions, such as serving as a base of accommodating industries, commercializing research findings, supplying high quality agricultural products and labor force, and an area with important ecological functions to this region.

Dezhou has established 4 sister-city relations and 8 friendly cooperative relations, and signed letters of intent for developing friendship with 22 cities.