Objective To investigate the incidence and mortality of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients among permanent residents in Yangpu district of Shanghai from 2002 to 2012. Methods The data of RCC patients among permanent residents of Yangpu district were collected from the database of cancer registration and management system in Shanghai. The temporal trend of RCC incidence was analyzed by using annual percent change (APC) model. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was employed for survival analysis. The incidence and mortality were standardized with the age structure of standard population from a nationwide census taken in 2000. Results A total of 1 092 RCC cases were newly diagnosed from 2002 to 2012 in Yangpu district, and the number accounted for 2.34% of total cases diagnosed with malignant diseases. The annual crude incidence of RCC was 9.16/10⁵ and the standardized one was 5.12/10⁵ in our study, with the incidence of RCC being significantly higher in males than in females (crude incidence: 11.79/10⁵ vs 6.41/10⁵, P<0.01; standardized incidence: 6.54/10⁵ vs 3.61/10⁵, P<0.01). The incidence of RCC was significantly increased in males elder than 40 years and in females elder than 55 years. The crude incidences of RCC were annually increased in males (APC=10.45) and in females (APC=6.37) from 2002 to 2012. A total of 369 cases died of RCC during this period, with an annual crude mortality of 3.10/10⁵ and a standardized one of 1.33/10⁵. The 5-year survival rate of RCC patients was higher in males than in females (71.80% vs 69.77%, P>0.01). The 5-year survival rate of patients receiving surgical treatments was significantly higher than that of patients receiving no surgical treatments (87.75% vs 53.69%, P<0.01). Conclusion Age and gender are the main factors influencing the incidence of RCC in Yangpu district of Shanghai. The mortality of RCC is apparently lower than the incidence of RCC. Surgical treatment can effectively prolong the survival of RCC patients.