Abstract: The distribution of cumulative hysteretic energy (EH) is a key issue in the structural energy-based seismic design. Two reinforced concrete frame-coupled shear walls with different span-depth ratios in coupling beams were designed and then analyzed by inelastic time-history analysis method under some earthquake records. The distribution of EH among wall limbs、coupling beams and frames are studied, as well as the distribution of EH along different stories. The results show that when the span-depth ratio of the coupling beam is reasonable, the “strong wall limb-weak coupling beam” mode can be achieved and most cumulative hysteretic energy is dissipated by the coupling beam while the damage in the wall limb can be decreased significantly. Besides, the results show that although the distributions of EH among different structural members are steady under the earthquake records with different spectrum characteristics, the distribution of EH along the stories may vary significantly. So the difference in EH distribution along the stories must be considered to determine the energy demands of the structural members in different stories.