Abstract: Based on the perspective of structuralism, this paper defines regional economic development from three dimensions:regional gross domestic product, regional labor productivity and regional per capita gross domestic product, using the data of permanent resident population of prefecture-level cities in 23 major provinces and regions of China from 2005 to 2011. It is found that the greater the primacy, the greater the concentration and the unequal distribution of population, the more can promote regional economic development. Moreover, in the regional economic growth model, the phenomenon of "diminishing returns to scale of factor input" has appeared, and the industrial structure of "industrialization" tendency has a negative and significant effect on China's regional economic development. It shows that in the driving force of promoting regional development, the impact of industrialization is gradually weakening, and the role of urbanization is gradually highlighted. At the same time, the degree of urban population integration with "the proportion of registered population to permanent population" has a negative impact on regional economic development. This shows that a more open and inclusive urban population policy will not only help to achieve social stability and social equity, but also ultimately promote regional economic development.

Key words: city system, regional development, city size distribution, structuralism