In the first three quarters of 2014, farmers' cash income rose by nearly 10% year on year

Since the beginning of this year, China's farmers' income has continued to grow relatively quickly, and the income gap between urban and rural residents has narrowed further. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that in the first three quarters of this year, the per capita cash income of rural residents nationwide was 8,527 yuan, a real increase of 9.7% after adjusting for price factors; the per capita disposable income of urban residents nationwide was 22,044 yuan, a real increase of 6.9% after adjusting for price factors. The growth rate of per capita cash income of rural residents was 2.8 percentage points higher than that of urban residents, and the ratio of per capita income between urban and rural residents was 2.59, 0.05 lower than in the same period last year.

Experts analyze that the rapid increase in farmers' income is the result of multiple factors working together, among which wage income contributed the most to growth. This year, the number of farmers going out to work continued to increase, and wage levels rose steadily. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that at the end of September this year, the number of rural migrant workers was 175.61 million, an increase of 1.69 million year on year, or 1.0%; the average monthly income of migrant workers was 2,797 yuan, an increase of 10.0%. Last year, farmers' wage income had already become the primary source of farmers' income.