Average salary of an employee in urban China 2013-2023

In 2023, an employee working for a not privately held company or organization in urban areas of China earned around 120,698 yuan annually on average. That year, the year-on-year growth rate of the average salary ranged at 5.8 percent nominally and 5.5 percent real.

Regional differences in salary levels

Salary levels in urban China have seen a significant rise between 2013 and 2023. During that period, average annual salaries of employees in non-private urban units have grown from around 51,500 to 120,700 yuan per year. Yet as of 2022, large income disparities still existed between different regions in China. While employees in Shanghai enjoyed the highest annual salaries on average, Henan province and Jilin province in central and northeastern China displayed the lowest average annual salaries. Regions with lower income levels are mainly located in central China or in the former centers of steel and heavy industry in Northeast China, whereas the coastal regions and municipalities in general still provide comparatively higher salaries.

Occupational salary differences

Moreover, a considerable salary discrepancy exists between different occupational groups in China. As of 2023, people working in IT services were atop the list earning about 231,800 yuan per year on average, whereas people in the financial service sector reached approximately 197,700 yuan. The hotels and catering sector ranked at the lower end with an average annual salary of around 58,100 yuan.