Located in the northwestern part of Xiamen city in Fujian province, Jimei district was originally named "Xunwei", meaning tail of the Xunjiang River, but was later changed to Jimei, meaning beauty, in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

In 2016, the per capita disposable income of urban residents grew 8.7% to 41,100 yuan ($6,103), while that of rural residents grew by 7.8% to 22,999 yuan.