The per capita disposable income of residents in 16 cities in Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, known as the Yangtze River Delta area, was 17,237 yuan (US$2,180) in 2006, latest statistics show.

Figures from the Jiangsu Statistics Bureau Yangtze River Delta Research Center revealed that the per capita income had increased by an average of 1,982 yuan (US$254), over that in 2005.

Private businesses have been developing rapidly in the region, with net earnings from business operations accounting for 8.6 percent of the total residents' disposable income, 0.5 percent higher than the previous year.

Net earnings from business operations took up 10.9 percent in seven cities in Zhejiang, with a per capita amount of 2,022 yuan (US$260) in 2006, higher than Shanghai and Jiangsu.

The delta is one of the most booming areas in China with its fast growing economy.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2007)