Objective  To examine the relationship between family average income (FAI) and self-reported type 2 diabetes (T2D) in urban residents of Nanjing.

  Methods  A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 7 824 local permanent residents aged 35 years and above selected with random cluster sampling from 4 urban districts of Nanjing city between August and September 2011. The outcome measure was self-reported T2D and the explanatory variable was tertile of FAI.

  Results  The self-reported prevalence of T2D was 8.2% (95% confidence interval 95%CI: 7.59% – 8.80 %) among the participants. The self-reported T2D prevalence differed obviously by age group but not by gender among the participants. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the participants with FAI of upper tertile (OR = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.23 – 2.02) or FAI of medium tertile (OR = 1.35, 95%CI:1.06 – 1.74) were more likely to have T2D compared to their counterparts with lower tertile of FAI. Furthermore, with the increment of age, the participants with FAI of upper tertile were at much higher risk of T2D compared to those with FAI of lower tertile.

  Conclusion  Family average income is positively associated with self-reported T2D among urban residents in Nanjing, China.