Average salary in China 2026: CNY 129,441 a year

Two averages, and why they are so far apart

NBS runs two wage series because it counts two different sets of employers. Non-private units are state-owned enterprises, collectives, joint-stock companies, foreign-invested firms and similar entities. Private units are privately owned businesses, many of them small. The non-private average is 1.81 times the private one.

Because the two series count different employers, firm size and industry mix both differ, and sector matters a great deal. Within non-private units, information transmission, software and IT services averaged CNY 248,752 and finance CNY 211,164, while accommodation and catering averaged CNY 62,461, below even the private-unit average. Growth differs too: the non-private average rose 4.3% (CNY 5,331) in 2025, the private average 3.0%.

Both are gross, urban means. The release reports no median, so it cannot answer "median income in China", and neither series covers rural workers.

Average salary in China by region

Average salary in China by industry

Regions, firm size and job level

Within non-private units, the eastern region averaged CNY 149,902, 46% more than the central region's CNY 102,645. The western and northeastern regions sit between them. A third NBS cut covers employees of above-scale enterprises, which averaged CNY 106,080, with middle and senior managers at CNY 210,016 and professional and technical staff at CNY 155,491.

We do not publish salaries by job title. For a specific role, price it from local offers and use these averages as context.

What an average-wage employee costs in Shanghai

Above Shanghai's CNY 7,546 contribution floor (reported by secondary sources, not read on the bureau's notice), the employer adds 32.7%: pension 16%, medical including maternity 9%, unemployment 0.5%, work injury from 0.2% and a 7% housing fund. Below the floor, social insurance is charged on CNY 7,546 anyway, so the private-sector average costs a higher share.

Beijing is similar, at 31.5% with a 5% housing fund and up to 38.5% at 12%, using Beijing's July 2024 to June 2025 medical rate, which we have not reconfirmed for 2026. A 13th-month salary is common by contract but not required by law. The China EOR guide has the full line-by-line example on a CNY 267,449 salary, and the employer cost index compares China with other countries.

Average pay against the minimum wage

China has no national minimum wage. Shanghai's CNY 2,740 a month, the highest, comes to CNY 32,880 a year, so the non-private average is 3.94 times it and the private average 2.18 times. In smaller cities, where tier rates are lower, the ratio to the local minimum is higher still. See China's minimum wage by city for the tier rates.

Hiring in China at these salaries

To employ in China without a local entity, an employer of record hires on its own entity and runs city-level social insurance. Published fees run from $99 a month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), checked October 16 and 18, 2026, and Deel lists $599. Compare them on our EOR pricing page.

Severance follows the Labor Contract Law: one month's wages per full year of service, with the base capped at three times the local average monthly wage for high earners. Leave rules are on the China maternity leave page, and the international employee cost calculator models the monthly total.