Beijing urban residents' per capita disposable income reached 8,845.1 yuan (US$1,066) during the January-June period of this year, up 12.9 percent from the same period last year, or an actual increase of 11 percent, if price factors are deducted.

The statistics were released by the Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau.

Yu Xiuqin, spokesperson for the bureau, was cited by Wednesday's Beijing Daily as saying that since the beginning of this year, Beijing residents' salaries have increased by 17.9 percent from the same period last year, becoming the major contribution to their income increase.

The low-income group enjoyed higher disposable income increase rate - 14.4 percent - two percent higher than that of the city's high-income group.

Beijing rural residents' per capita cash income reached 4,606.7 yuan (555 US dollars), up 12.2 percent from the same period last year. The increase rate is slightly higher than that of urban citizens.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)