Rugao is a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

The 2025 County-Level Economic Innovation and Development Forum, hosted by CCID Consulting, was held in Beijing on July 23. At the forum, the "2025 CCID Top 100 Counties" ranking was released, with Rugao ranking 20th on the list.

CCID Consulting, affiliated with the China Center for Information Industry Development under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is the first publicly listed consulting firm in China.

The top 100 counties serve as a stabilizing force in China's economic development. Despite accounting for only about 2 percent of the country's land area and 7 percent of its population, they generate over 10 percent of the national GDP. Representing just 5 percent of all counties, these top 100 contribute 26.5 percent of the total county-level GDP. They also lead in improving livelihoods, being the first places where rural per capita disposable income reached more than half that of urban areas.