FROM the city’s revenue to its residents’ favorite books, from the flow of Metro passengers to the most-searched information online, a mega city like Shanghai can be pieced together by fun and fascinating statistics.

A report recently put together by the local government and the city’s various industry associations sheds light on what Shanghai residents do and think and where their amenities lie.

The Shanghai Finance Bureau reveals that in 2013 the city’s public revenue reached almost 411 billion yuan (US$65.8 billion), an increase of 9.8 percent from 2012. The city’s GDP hit more than 2,160 billion yuan, 7.7 percent higher than the previous year.

Education

Xuhui District ranks first because within its relatively modest 50 square kilometers of land sit more than 80 primary and middle schools (including 15 key schools).

It is followed by the Pudong New Area, Huangpu, Minhang and Yangpu districts.

The apartments around the schools are becoming hot commodities with jaw-dropping prices, such as those near the No. 1 Gao’an Road Primary School. Apartments in the neighborhood opposite the school, Tianping Garden, are priced at almost 70,000 yuan per square meter, while the area’s average housing price is about 40,000 yuan.

“We had no other choice but to buy the flat,” says a mother, Xu Min, whose 6-year-old daughter will start school this September.

“But we plan to sell it to other parents in two years. We can always find a buyer.”

Reading

Shanghai people purchase one of every 12 books sold in China, according to the 2014 first-quarter financial report from JD.com, one of the country’s largest online bookstores. The website sold almost 2 million books in Shanghai, accounting for 8.5 percent of its national total.

An analysis of the book list reveals that the favorite five book varieties among Shanghai readers are novel, financial & banking, English learning, contemporary prose and information technology.

The city’s bestseller, according to JD.com, is “I Belong to You,” a book of short, warm bedtime stories by a popular Internet writer.

It is followed by “Totto-chan the Little Girl at the Window” by Japanese writer Tetsuko Kuroyannagi, “The Kite Runner,” “The Age of Big Date” and “The Modern Chinese Dictionary” (6th edition).

Surfing the Internet

The statistics offered by popular search engine Baidu.com show that in Shanghai people aged 30 to 49 constitute 72 percent of all people using the search engine to look for information. Next, at 11 percent each, are people in their 20s and people over 50. The remaining 6 percent are under 19 years old.

Baidu’s data show a wide gulf between the genders, with 73 percent of searchers being men and 27 percent women.

“I guess it is because we men are more independent and like to look for the definitive answers by ourselves, while women are likely to get information they want by chatting and sharing,” says Zhang Zhiguo, an  MBA student studying network marketing at Fudan University.

Top 10 ideal jobs

More than 12 percent of men in Shanghai surveyed online said they like women doing human resources and administrative work, ranking that field at the top. At the same time, 12.4 percent of women picked the IT industry as offering the most ideal jobs for men.

“Human resources and administrative jobs are stable, yet not as boring as civil servants,” says Zheng Zhe, an IT manager in a multinational computer company. “They can have their own careers, but they are not as intimidating as businesswomen.”

Other jobs that men think are good for women are civil servant, ranked second, and No. 3 accountant. “I’d like to take an accountant to be my future wife,” says Fred Yang, a human resources manager. “She can skillfully handle the family’s budget, which will be a great helper to me.”

Teacher is in fourth place. Doctor or nurse, which used to be the hottest career for a woman in the eyes of men, ranked only 9th this time, chosen by 4.4 percent of men.

“Doctors and nurses are too busy to take good care of the family,” says car engineer Scott Shi, who chose teacher though his pregnant wife is a marketing manager.

As for the jobs women like to see men have, IT is the winner. “They can repair computer and other electronic devices. So cool, aren’t they?” says bank clerk Fang Fang.

High-ranking corporate manager (10.4 percent) is second, and working in the financial, securities/investment industry is third at 9.2 percent. Oddly, only 2.4 percent of women thought civil servant is a good job for a man, ranking dead last among the occupations surveyed.

“Working in the government is very stable, but the job is stereotyped in China as boring and not as profitable as office work,” says Yang Guofang, 59, who has a 29-year-old daughter and wants her to marry a high-ranking corporate manager.

“A high-ranking manager is often highly educated with a successful career and the ability to cope with difficulties,” Yang said.

Julia Zha’s husband is a government worker, but she is not surprised at the ranking. “Boring and bureaucratic are the two labels on the civil servant,” she says, adding that “low-ranking government workers don’t earn much.”

Traveling around

According to the latest statistics from Ctrip.com, one of the country’s largest tourism organizers and planners, Shanghai people’s favorite domestic tourism destinations are Sanya (Hainan Province), Kunming and Lijiang (Yunnan Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Beijing, Xi’an (Shaanxi Province), Jiuzhaigou (Sichuan Province), Guilin (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) and Harbin (Heilongjiang Province).

Shanghainese’ most-visited overseas destinations are Singapore, Siem Reap (Cambodia), Phuket (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia), Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, and the South Korean capital of Seoul and resort island of Chejudo.

The 2013 tourism development report released last month by the Shanghai Statistics Bureau shows the number of overseas trips taken by Shanghai citizens reached 6.86 million, an increase of 25 percent over 2012.

Looking for ayi

Also interesting is statistical data about ayi, or domestic nannies/cleaners. According to a survey of Yunjiazheng.com (a Shanghai website organizing ayi), Pudong residents hire the most ayi, with online orders for 4,290 in one recent week, followed by Xuhui and Putuo districts, with 2,469 and 2,337, respectively.

Industry insiders from the Shanghai Household Services Association noted that Pudong has many foreigners, who tend to have a big demand for domestic helpers, while other top districts such as Xuhui, Putuo, Huangpu and Changning are all downtown centers that also attract expats.

Almost 35 percent of ayi working in Shanghai are from Anhui Province, followed by those from the Yangtze River Delta Region (Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai), accounting for 22 percent. Most of the others are from Hubei, Henan and Sichuan provinces.

Dining out

The 2013 Shanghai Living Cost Report, conducted by Dianping.com, the country’s dominant online platform for restaurants and bars, shows that in 2013 the price of meals and snacks rose.

A meal cost 95 yuan and a snack cost 26 yuan on average per person in Shanghai, 4.6 percent and 8.3 percent above levels from the previous year.

Shanghai residents’ favorite foods were doughnuts, salmon and crispy deep-fried chicken.