Average Annual Wages of Employees in Urban Units in 2025

In 2025, the average annual wages of employees in urban non-private units and private units nationwide were 129,441 yuan and 71,590 yuan, respectively. The average annual wage of employees in enterprises above the designated size was 106,080 yuan. Specifically, the average annual wage of middle- and senior-level management personnel was 210,016 yuan; that of professional and technical personnel was 155,491 yuan; that of office staff and related personnel was 94,936 yuan; that of personnel engaged in social production and life services was 79,857 yuan; and that of personnel engaged in production, manufacturing, and related activities was 80,739 yuan.

I. Average Annual Wage of Employees in Urban Non-Private Units

In 2025, the average annual wage of employees in urban non-private units nationwide was 129,441 yuan, up 5,331 yuan over the previous year, representing a nominal growth rate[1] of 4.3% and a real growth rate of 4.2% after adjusting for price factors.

The average annual wages of employees in urban non-private units by region, sector, and registration category are detailed in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.

Table 1 Average Annual Wages and Growth Rates of Employees in Urban Non-Private Units by Region in 2025

Table 2 Average Annual Wages and Growth Rates of Employees in Urban Non-Private Units by Sector in 2025

Table 3 Average Annual Wages and Growth Rates of Employees in Urban Non-Private Units by Registration Category in 2025

II. Average Annual Wage of Employees in Urban Private Units

In 2025, the average annual wage of employees in urban private units nationwide was 71,590 yuan, up 2,114 yuan over the previous year, representing a nominal growth rate of 3.0% and a real growth rate of 2.9% after adjusting for price factors.

The average annual wages of employees in urban private units by region and sector are detailed in Table 4 and Table 5.

Table 4 Average Annual Wages and Growth Rates of Employees in Urban Private Units by Region in 2025

Table 5 Average Annual Wages and Growth Rates of Employees in Urban Private Units by Sector in 2025

III. Average Annual Wage of Employees in Enterprises above the Designated Size

In 2025, the average annual wage of employees in enterprises above the designated size was 106,080 yuan, up 3,628 yuan over the previous year, representing a nominal growth rate of 3.5% and a real growth rate of 3.4% after adjusting for price factors. Specifically, the average annual wage of middle- and senior-level management personnel was 210,016 yuan, up 3.4%; that of professional and technical personnel was 155,491 yuan, up 5.0%; that of office staff and related personnel was 94,936 yuan, up 1.9%; that of personnel engaged in social production and life services was 79,857 yuan, up 2.9%; and that of personnel engaged in production, manufacturing, and related activities was 80,739 yuan, up 2.8%.

The average annual wages of employees in enterprises above the designated size by region, sector, and registration category are detailed in Table 6, Table 7, and Table 8.

Table 6 Average Annual Wages of Employees in Enterprises above the Designated Size by Region and Position in 2025

Table 7 Average Annual Wages of Employees in Enterprises above the Designated Size by Sector and Position in 2025

Table 8 Average Annual Wages of Employees in Enterprises above the Designated Size by Registration Category and Position in 2025

Notes:

[1] Unless otherwise specified, growth rates presented herein are nominal growth rates.

Annotations:

1. Index Interpretation

(1) Employees in a unit: refer to individuals who work in the unit and are remunerated for their work by the unit.

(2) Total Wages: according to the Provisions on the Composition of Total Wages (see the official website for details: https://www.stats.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfggz/tjxzfg2020/202605/t20260511_1963662.html), total wages refer to the total amount of labor remuneration directly paid by a unit to all its employees during the reporting period. All forms of remuneration, whether included in costs or not, and whether paid in cash or in kind, shall be included in the calculation of total wages. It should be noted that total wages refer to pre-tax remuneration, including individual income tax and the employee-borne portion of social insurance and housing provident fund contributions, which are withheld or paid by the employer on behalf of employees, as well as housing-related expenses and utility charges. However, total wages exclude cash or in-kind benefits paid by trade union funds or union accounts, dividend income from equity participation, gains from equity incentive plans, and other forms of capital income.

(3) Average wage: refers to the per capita wage level of a unit during the reporting period.

The calculation formula is as follows: Average wage of employees = total wage remuneration / average number of employees.

(4) The classification of the five job categories is based on the Occupational Classification Code of the People’s Republic of China (Version 2022), issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China (MOHRSS).

Middle- and senior-level management personnel: refer to personnel who hold leadership positions within a unit and its functional departments and exercise decision-making and managerial authority. This category includes principal persons in charge or senior management personnel of a unit (including personnel at equivalent levels and deputy-level personnel), as well as heads of first-level departments or internal institutions (including personnel at equivalent levels and deputy-level personnel). For extra-large units, it may also include heads (including deputy-level personnel) of management institutions established within first-level departments. 

Professional and technical personnel: refer to personnel engaged in various types of scientific research and professional/technical work. Such personnel are generally required to have received systematic professional education, possess relevant theoretical knowledge, and have been assessed and appointed to professional and technical positions in accordance with prescribed qualification standards. This category also includes personnel who have not been formally appointed to professional and technical positions but are engaged in professional and technical roles. It includes scientific researchers; engineering technicians; agricultural technicians; aircraft and ship technicians; medical professionals and technicians; economic and financial professionals; supervisory, legal, social and religious professionals; teaching personnel; literary, artistic, and sports professionals; press, publishing and cultural professionals; and other professional and technical personnel. 

Office staff and related personnel: refer to personnel engaged in administrative operations, administrative affairs, administrative law enforcement and arbitration, safety and security, and firefighting and emergency rescue in state organs, Party and mass organizations, enterprises, and public institutions. Specifically, this category includes clerical staff, security and fire-fighting personnel, and other office staff and related personnel.

Personnel engaged in social production and life services: refer to personnel engaged in activities such as wholesale and retail trades, transport, storage, postal and express services, hotels and catering services, information transmission, software and information technology services, finance, real estate, leasing and business services, technical support, ecological protection, and culture, sports and entertainment. This category includes wholesale and retail trade service personnel; transport, storage and postal service personnel; hotels and catering service personnel; information transmission, software and information technology service personnel; financial service personnel; real estate service personnel; leasing and business service personnel; technical support service personnel; personnel engaged in the management of water conservancy, environment and public facilities; household service personnel; personnel engaged in the supply of electricity, heat power, gas, and water; repair and manufacturing service personnel; cultural and educational service personnel; health, sports and leisure service personnel; and other social production and life service personnel.

Personnel engaged in production, manufacturing, and related activities: refer to personnel engaged in product manufacturing, equipment production, mineral extraction, engineering construction, and transportation equipment operation. This category includes agricultural and sideline product processing personnel; food and beverage production and processing personnel; tobacco and related product processing personnel; textile, knitting, dyeing and printing personnel; textile, apparel, leather and fur product processing and manufacturing personnel; wood processing, furniture and wood product manufacturing personnel; paper and paper product manufacturing and processing personnel; printing and recorded media reproduction personnel; cultural, educational, artistic, sports and recreational articles manufacturing personnel; petroleum processing, coking and coal chemical production personnel; chemical raw material and product manufacturing personnel; pharmaceutical manufacturing personnel; chemical fiber manufacturing personnel; rubber and plastic product manufacturing personnel; non-metallic mineral product manufacturing personnel; mining personnel; metal smelting and pressing processing personnel; basic processing personnel in machinery manufacturing; metal product manufacturing personnel; general-purpose equipment manufacturing personnel; special-purpose equipment manufacturing personnel; automobile manufacturing personnel; railway, ship, aerospace equipment manufacturing personnel; electrical machinery and apparatus manufacturing personnel; computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing personnel; measuring instrument and meter manufacturing personnel; renewable resource utilization personnel; electricity, heat power, gas, and water production, transmission and distribution personnel; construction personnel; transportation equipment and general-purpose engineering machinery operators and related personnel; production support personnel; and other personnel engaged in production, manufacturing, and related activities. 

2. Statistics Coverage

Urban units refer to legal entities located in urban areas with five or more employees. In 2025, a total of 3.062 million units were included in the statistical survey. Self-employed individuals and freelancers were excluded from the survey.

Private legal entities in urban areas (including employers with industrial activities statistically recognized as legal entities) include private limited liability companies, private joint stock limited companies, sole proprietorships, and partnerships among domestic-invested enterprises.

Non-private legal entities in urban areas (including employers with industrial activities statistically recognized as legal entities) include domestic-invested units (including government agencies and public institutions), enterprises with investment from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreign-invested enterprises other than private units.

Enterprises above the designated size refer to legal entities in 16 industry categories, including industrial enterprises above the designated size, covering mining, manufacturing, and the production and supply of electricity, heat power, gas, and water; qualified construction enterprises; wholesale and retail trade enterprises above the designated size; hotels and catering service enterprises above the designated size; all real estate development and operation enterprises engaged in development activities; and service enterprises above the designated size (including transport, storage and post; information transmission, software, and information technology services; leasing and business services; scientific research and technical services; management of water conservancy, environment, and public facilities; household services, repairing, and other services; education; health and social services; culture, sports and entertainment; property management, real estate intermediary services, and other related industries).

3. Survey Method

In accordance with the Integrated Statistical Surveying Rules for Enterprises and the Statistical Reporting Rules on Labor and Wages formulated by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistics on urban units are collected through a combination of comprehensive surveys and sample surveys.

4. Division of the Eastern, Central, Western and Northeastern Regions

The eastern region includes 10 provinces (municipalities): Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan.

The central region includes six provinces: Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan.

The western region includes 12 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities): Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang.

The northeastern region includes three provinces: Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.

5. Industrial Classification Standard

The industrial classification standard for labor and wage statistics is based on the Industrial Classification for National Economic Activities (GB/T 4754-2017).

6. Registration Classification Standard

Since 2023, labor and wage statistics have been compiled in accordance with the updated statistical classification of registration set out in the Regulations on the Classification of Market Entities for Statistical Purposes (Guotongzi [2023] No. 14). For details, please refer to the official website:https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/tjbz/gjtjbz/202302/t20230213_1902786.html.