I recently came across some data on China’s wealthiest cities, and it was quite interesting. Many people think that first-tier cities are simply Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, but when you look at per capita income, the situation is much more complicated.

Shanghai and Beijing are indeed leading, with per capita incomes of 88,300 and 85,000, respectively. What’s interesting is that Shenzhen comes right after, with a per capita income of 81,100. This city gathers tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent, BYD, and DJI drones, making it one of the two major global technology hubs—along with Silicon Valley.

Looking further down, the per capita incomes of Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou are all between 76,000 and 77,800, making them very close. Suzhou used to be the city with the world’s largest industrial output, and it has long been competing with Shanghai and Shenzhen for top-tier status. Hangzhou, as the capital of Zhejiang Province, attracts the province’s capital and talent, and its development momentum is also very strong.

Zhejiang Province really has produced quite a number of prosperous cities. Ningbo’s per capita income is 75,000. Here is the world’s largest port—Saudi oil, Australia’s iron ore, Indonesia’s coal, and U.S. soybeans all enter the Chinese market through Ningbo Port. Industrial output ranks among the top ten nationwide, and its private economy is especially strong. Shaoxing has a per capita income of 72,900. It is adjacent to Hangzhou and Ningbo, and its private economy is developed. The boss of China’s richest person, Nongfu Spring, is from Shaoxing, and Jack Ma is also from Shaoxing.

Xiamen’s figure is 74,200. Wealthy people in Fujian particularly like to settle in Xiamen, which has even caused housing prices here to surpass those in Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

Looking at this ranking, it actually reflects a phenomenon: China’s wealthiest cities are not only traditional first-tier cities. They are more often cities with developed industries, convenient ports, or exceptionally strong private economies. For fresh graduates looking for high-paying jobs, these ten cities are indeed the top target choices.