In order to effectively control the ground deformation and ground subsidence during subway construction, three-dimensional numerical simulation of soil deformation during shield tunnel construction is proposed. Based on a subway tunnel project, this essay firstly divides the shield construction process into several stages and analyzes the vertical displacement of soil in each stage. FLAC 3D was used for three-dimensional finite difference numerical simulation. By comparing the numerical simulation results with the field measured data, the soil settlement caused by shield tunnel excavation is studied deeply. The simulation results show that the maximum settlement value of the monitoring data is 0.59 mm, and the maximum settlement value of the numerical simulation is 0.82 mm, with a difference of 0.23 mm. The maximum value of uplift on both sides of the tunnel is 0.41 mm in monitoring data and 0.29 in numerical simulation, with a difference of 0.12 mm. The maximum settlement value of monitoring data is 2.59 mm, and the maximum settlement value of numerical simulation is 3.05 mm, with a difference of 0.46 mm. The maximum value of uplift on both sides of the tunnel is 0.32 mm in monitoring data and 1.89 mm in numerical simulation, with a difference of 1.57 mm. The settlement value of numerical simulation is slightly larger than that of monitoring data. Conclusion. The simulation can well simulate the state of soil uplift on both sides, and the width of settlement groove is in good agreement with the monitoring data.