With the intensifying competition among cities in the Yangtze River Delta, talent has become a key strategic resource for urban development. However, many second-tier cities still face challenges in attracting and retaining high-level talents. Taking Jinhua as a case study, this paper integrates urban amenity theory and social embeddedness theory to analyze the mechanisms influencing urban talent attraction. A comprehensive evaluation index system is constructed, including six dimensions: living environment, economic potential, government policies and public services, technological innovation, social embeddedness, and settlement cost. The entropy weight method is applied to determine the weights of the indicators and evaluate Jinhua’s talent attraction capacity. The results show that economic potential, technological innovation, and living environment play significant roles in attracting talents, while social embeddedness and settlement cost influence talent retention. Based on the findings, policy suggestions are proposed to improve urban livability, strengthen talent social networks, and optimize talent policies. This study enriches the analytical framework of urban talent attraction and provides policy implications for second-tier cities.