Urban color serves as a visual representation of urban style, playing a crucial role in sustaining urban culture and defining urban characteristics. Research on color data is vital for quantifying the current status of urban color, and developing scientific and efficient research methods can enhance the accuracy and convenience of urban color research and application. This paper draws on data from journal articles in the CNKI database and the Web of Science (WoS) database between January 2004 and July 2024. We examined literature encompassing both urban color research and color survey methods, using CiteSpace analysis tools to evaluate the development of research hotspots, the volume of publications and Keywords, and to summarize the application scale along with the advantages and disadvantages of urban color research methods. The results indicate that over the past 20 years, Chinese scholars have conducted significantly more research on urban color and related topics compared to their foreign counterparts; the number of articles published on urban color research is increasing; and the focus of research has shifted from comprehensive urban color planning to local urban color, public space color, and urban color management and protection. Currently, five primary methods of urban color investigation exist, which are often used in conjunction with one another. Among these, the color card comparison method and the camera acquisition method are the most frequently combined; the colorimeter and the drone are employed less often; and street image technology, as an emerging method in urban color research, has seen a notable increase in its application frequency in related fields in recent years. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for selecting urban color research methods.