The per capita disposable income of urban residents in China reached 28,844 yuan (US$ 4,518.20) in 2014, up by nine percent year on year. Incomes for residents of Shanghai, Beijing and Zhejiang exceeded 40,000 yuan (US$ 6,369) and the figure in Shanghai amounted to 47,710 yuan (US$ 7,628.83), the highest among all the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

The statistics also show that the starting monthly salaries for college graduates in Shanghai and Beijing reached 3,241 yuan (US$ 518.24) and 3,109 yuan (US$ 497.13) respectively, with the highest graduate salaries out of all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions being in Shanghai.

As the Chinese economy has entered the new normal, 26 of the 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions lowered the annual growth target of personal income this year; four of them kept the same goal as last year and only Tibet expected a higher speed. More emphasis will be laid upon the quality of economic development and the people’s wellbeing, so as to facilitate the sustainable growth of personal incomes in the long run.

A great income disparity still existed between eastern and western China. The per capita income for urban residents in Qinghai and Gansu provinces in western China were 22,307 yuan (US$ 3,566.90) and 20,804 yuan (US$ 3,326.56) respectively last year.

Here are the top 10 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in terms of per capita income:

 Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region [File Photo]

Urban residents’ per capita disposable income: 28,350 yuan

Annual growth speed: 9 percent