OBJECTIVE To investigate the prognostic value of tumor deposits (TDs) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical records of 618 patients with ESCC who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University between February 10, 2015, and June 25, 2020. Patients were divided into TDs-positive and TDs-negative groups based on the presence of TDs in postoperative pathology results. Both groups of patients underwent a 1:3 propensity score matching analysis. Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the impact of TDs on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Logistic regression model used to analyze risk factors associated with tumor deposition. RESULTS The DFS and OS of the TDs-positive group were significantly lower than those of the TDs-negative group (DFS: P = 0.002; OS: P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that TDs significantly affected DFS and OS in pN0, pN1, pStageⅠ/Ⅱ, and but not in pN2, pN3, and pStage III/IV. Multivariate analysis indicated that TDs were an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS TDs positivity is a poor prognostic factor for ESCC patients, especially in early and mid-stages. TDs can serve as an independent prognostic marker, providing a new basis for risk stratification and individualized treatment in ESCC patients.