Abstract: Bohai Bay is the second largest bay of Bohai Sea, and is semi-enclosed. The ecosystem has been adversely affected by the economic boom in the surrounding area. In order to understand the pollution status of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Tianjin coastal area of multiple inflow rivers and the seaside tourist resorts in Bohai Bay, the distribution characteristics and resources of 16 US EPA priority control PAHs in the surface sediment (0-5 cm) of this region were analyzed, and their potential ecological risk and probabilistic carcinogenic risk were assessed. The results showed that the total concentrations of PAHs ranged from 23.9 to 672.8 ng/g dry weight, with an average of 228.1 ng/g. Compared with the pollution levels in the past years in the area, the pollution degree has an increasing trend. The resources of PAHs pollution varied in the different sections:the resources in the coastal area in Tianjin Port mainly originated from petroleum products, while the southern section was mainly affected by the incomplete combustion of coal and biomass products. There have been potential ecological risks near the estuary of Haihe River and the northern section. The probalistic carcinogenic risk for the studied area was on a lower level. Based on PAHs toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ_BaP), seven higher carcinogenic PAHs accounted for 96.8% of the total TEQ_BaP. Among them, dibenzoanthracene (DBA) had the maximum potential carcinogenic risk, followed by benzopyrene (BaP). The polluted levels of PAHs in Bohai Bay should be monitored routinely, since they are persistent organic pollutants and difficult to degrade in the environment.