China's middle class incomes: average vs. median
"NSB data revealed that in the first three-quarters of this year the
median income for the nation’s entire working class stood at 20,512 yuan ($3,117), or 2,279 yuan ($346) per month, 15% lower than the per capita
average figure announced earlier by the bureau."
A couple of points:
1. This is still quite modest overall. Even after applying the GDP deflator (PPP), this comes out to about $6,800 per year. In contrast, the median wages of the US worker is $49,800 per year (
). China's median income is about 13.7% of the US.
2. Comparison of GDP per capita is much closer. China: $16,785, U.S. $65,281, according to the
. China's per capita GDP (PPP) is 25.7% of the US's.
3. For the average to be higher than the median suggests that the income distribution is skewed towards the rich, as a small number of very wealthy households will skew the average higher, but will not change the median.
This means that in comparison to the US, the average Chinese is not capturing as much of the country's GDP in income. This has implications for a dual circulation strategy or any that relies on the domestic market. A greater share of economic output must find its way into the hands of the average worker.