In 2025, the minimum hourly wage in Beijing was the highest in China at 26.4 yuan per hour. In the past decade, China has been shifting from a cheap labor driven economy to more matured, service-oriented markets and industries. While the economy continues to grow, prices and wages keep on increasing as well. How do wages differ across the country? China’s provinces and municipalities are divided into districts of different levels. Most provinces set different minimum wages for different districts depending on the cost of living and level of development. Usually, provincial capitals and major cities enjoy higher hourly wages than smaller towns and rural areas of the same province. In 2025, the highest minimum hourly wages in China were to be found in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities with 26.4 and 24.4 yuan respectively, whereas employees in Hainan province who received a minimum wage were paid the least – between 16.3 and 17.9 yuan per hour. Minimum monthly wages that year were the highest in Shanghai and the lowest in Qinghai province. The average annual salary in urban China was around 120,700 yuan in 2023. What are the prospects? Regional governments in China are required to update their minimum wages at least every few years. Hebei, Fujian, and Guangdong – provinces that have not adjusted minimum wages in the past two years – are likely to do so in 2025. Along with economic development, increasing living standards, increasing prices and a shrinking labor force, overall minimum wages will likely continue growing in China.

Wages in China increased to 120698 CNY/Year in 2023 from 114029 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

China is the largest labor force market in the world. China’s economic prosperity wouldn’t exist without the large number of people working in this country. With increasing living standards and growing inflation, the wages of employees in China are increasing as well. As of 2022, average wages in China increased to ******* yuan from ****** yuan in 2012. Wage gap between regions The wages vary in China depending on sector, position, gender and region like in any other country. Since China’s different regions have developed unequally, the wage gaps between people working in different regions can also be very large. This is a reason for no single minimum wage being set for the entire nation. The local governments set minimum wages based on local living standards. Considering the city tier, the wage standards are higher in cities with higher rankings. ******** and ******* have the highest minimum wage standards in China. Although the minimum wages in China have been increasing, the standards are still lower than in developed countries. Challenges of increasing labor costs Increasing wages also make the labor force market less attractive. Affected by increasing labor costs and the China-United States trade war, many companies are transferring their investment destinations, especially in the manufacturing sector. Local governments are also taking measures to ensure the living costs remain at a reasonable level to retain companies and employees. These measures include regulating the residential housing market more strictly.

Wages in Manufacturing in China increased to 103932 CNY/Year in 2023 from 97528 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages in Manufacturing - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Minimum Wages in China increased to 2690 CNY/Month in 2025 from 2590 CNY/Month in 2024. This dataset provides - China Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

China Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage data was reported at 1,060.000 RMB in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 870.000 RMB for 2010. China Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage data is updated yearly, averaging 641.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,060.000 RMB in 2011 and a record low of 367.500 RMB in 2005. China Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

This statistic shows the average yearly wages in the manufacturing sector in China from 2012 to 2022. In 2022, the average wages in manufacturing in China increased to approximately 97,500 yuan from 92,500 yuan in the previous year.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Zhejiang data was reported at 2,490.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,280.000 RMB for 2023. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Zhejiang data is updated yearly, averaging 1,755.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,490.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 490.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Zhejiang data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Chongqing data was reported at 2,330.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,100.000 RMB for 2023. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Chongqing data is updated yearly, averaging 1,250.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,330.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 330.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Chongqing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Tibet data was reported at 2,100.000 RMB in 2024. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2,100.000 RMB for 2023. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Tibet data is updated yearly, averaging 1,400.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,100.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 445.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Tibet data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

In 2018, manufacturing labor costs in China were estimated to be **** U.S. dollars per hour. This is compared to an estimated **** U.S. dollars per hour in Mexico, and **** U.S. dollars in Vietnam. Manufacturing jobs in the United States Many people in the United States believe manufacturing jobs to be the backbone of the U.S. economy, despite employment in the manufacturing sector decreasing since 1997, and the monthly change in manufacturing employment being highly variable. Although manufacturing added a value of about ** percent to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, employment in the United States has been moving away from manufacturing to other means of employment. A difference in earnings Part of this steering away from manufacturing could be due to a difference in labor costs. While hourly wages in Vietnam were less than * U.S. dollars in 2018, hourly wages in the U.S. manufacturing sector hovered around ** U.S. dollars in 2018. The labor costs in the U.S. could simply be too high for companies, who look to countries such as China, Mexico, and Vietnam for cheaper labor.

This graph shows average wages around the world in 2012 as calculated by purchasing power parity. In 2012 the highest average wage was earned in Luxembourg at 4,089 purchasing power parity dollars. Wages and salaries Wages and salaries in the United States have increased during the last decades. The median weekly earnings of a full-time wage and salary worker were about 241 U.S. dollars in 1979 and shifted up to 768 U.S. dollars in 2012.

The median earnings of U.S. full-time wage and salary workers vary across their educational attainment. The highest paid workers are those who hold a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. federal government specified minimum wage laws for workers in the United States, which say that workers must be paid no less than the current federal minimum wage. The minimum wage was set at 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour by federal law. The actual minimum wage varies from state to state, as some states have additional minimum wage laws.

For instance, the minimum wage in Washington was around 9.04 U.S. dollars per hour, while the worst minimum wage can be found in Georgia, where workers earn at least 5.15 U.S. dollars per hour. No minimum wages can be found in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi, as of January 1, 2012.

The number of workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the minimum wage in the U.S. was at its highest in the industry type of leisure and hospitality in 2013.

Recent statistics show that the share of female workers paid hourly rates at or below prevailing federal minimum wage in the United States decreased since 1979. In that year, 20.2 percent of the female wage and salary workers were paid below the federal minimum wage, while only 2.9 percent of the female workers were paid below the federal minimum wage in 2006.

The statistic shows the average annual salary of employees working for privately held companies and entities in urban China between 2013 and 2023, by geographic region. In 2023, the average income of an urban private employee working in West China ranged at approximately 59,000 yuan per year.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Liaoning data was reported at 2,100.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,910.000 RMB for 2023. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Liaoning data is updated yearly, averaging 1,300.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,100.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 350.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Liaoning data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Guangdong: Shenzhen data was reported at 2,520.000 RMB in 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,360.000 RMB for 2024. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Guangdong: Shenzhen data is updated yearly, averaging 2,030.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2025, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,520.000 RMB in 2025 and a record low of 635.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Guangdong: Shenzhen data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

The statistic shows the relationship between a migrant workers hourly wage and that of a local workers in China in 2011, 2005, and 2010. In 2001, migrant workers in China received on average ** percent of that received by local workers.

This dataset provides values for MINIMUM WAGES reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Jiangsu data was reported at 2,490.000 RMB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,280.000 RMB for 2023. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Jiangsu data is updated yearly, averaging 1,630.000 RMB from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,490.000 RMB in 2024 and a record low of 400.000 RMB in 2005. Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage: Jiangsu data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Standard of Monthly Minimum Wage.

Average Weekly Hours in China increased to 48.50 Hours in May from 48.30 Hours in April of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for China Average Weekly Hours.

MHW: Real Estate Activities data was reported at 98.400 HKD in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.800 HKD for 2023. MHW: Real Estate Activities data is updated yearly, averaging 86.850 HKD from Jun 2011 (Median) to 2024, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.400 HKD in 2024 and a record low of 69.300 HKD in 2011. MHW: Real Estate Activities data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census and Statistics Department. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR (China) – Table HK.G100: Median Hourly Wage.