The National Bureau of Statistics published data on household income and consumer spending for the first three quarters of 2026 on its official website on October 19. Nationwide, per capita disposable income reached 34,230 yuan, while per capita wage income stood at 19,653 yuan.
Disposable income refers to the total sum available to residents for final consumption expenditure and savings — that is, income they are free to allocate as they wish, encompassing both cash income and in-kind income. By source, disposable income comprises wage income, net operating income, net property income, and net transfer income.
Household income situation
In the first three quarters, nationwide per capita disposable income was 34,230 yuan, a nominal increase of 5.3% over the same period last year, or a real increase of 4.4% after deducting price factors.
Broken down by urban and rural areas: urban residents' per capita disposable income was 44,945 yuan, up 4.5% (all growth rates below are nominal year-on-year unless otherwise stated), or 3.6% in real terms after deducting price factors; rural residents' per capita disposable income was 18,809 yuan, up 6.3%, or 5.6% in real terms after deducting price factors.
By income source: in the first three quarters, nationwide per capita wage income was 19,653 yuan, up 5.3%, accounting for 57.4% of disposable income; per capita net operating income was 5,542 yuan, up 6.6%, accounting for 16.2%; per capita net property income was 2,671 yuan, up 1.6%, accounting for 7.8%; and per capita net transfer income was 6,364 yuan, up 5.7%, accounting for 18.6%.
Median disposable income: in the first three quarters, the nationwide median per capita disposable income was 28,388 yuan, up 4.6%, with the median standing at 82.9% of the average. Among urban residents, the median per capita disposable income was 39,728 yuan, up 3.9%, or 88.4% of the average; among rural residents, the median per capita disposable income was 15,895 yuan, up 5.7%, or 84.5% of the average. The median per capita income refers to the income of the household at the exact midpoint when all surveyed households are ranked from lowest to highest by per capita income.
Per capita disposable income in the first three quarters
Household consumption expenditure situation
In the first three quarters, nationwide per capita consumption expenditure was 22,354 yuan, a nominal increase of 3.6% over the same period last year, or a real increase of 2.7% after deducting price factors.
Broken down by urban and rural areas: urban residents' per capita consumption expenditure was 27,312 yuan, up 3.0%, or 2.1% in real terms after deducting price factors; rural residents' per capita consumption expenditure was 15,218 yuan, up 4.3%, or 3.5% in real terms after deducting price factors.
Composition of per capita consumption expenditure: in the first three quarters, nationwide per capita spending on food, tobacco, and alcohol was 6,643 yuan, up 4.5%, accounting for 29.7% of per capita consumption expenditure; per capita spending on clothing was 1,172 yuan, up 4.1%, accounting for 5.2%; per capita spending on housing was 4,753 yuan, up 1.9%, accounting for 21.3%; per capita spending on household goods and services was 1,281 yuan, up 4.7%, accounting for 5.7%; per capita spending on transportation and communication was 3,190 yuan, up 2.8%, accounting for 14.3%; per capita spending on education, culture, and recreation was 2,647 yuan, up 4.6%, accounting for 11.8%; per capita spending on healthcare was 1,974 yuan, up 2.3%, accounting for 8.8%; and per capita spending on other goods and services was 694 yuan, up 8.7%, accounting for 3.1%.
Per capita consumption expenditure and its composition in the first three quarters of 2026
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