In single-party regimes, ruling parties need to adapt to social changes to increase their durability. Recent literature argues that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) adapted its membership, co-opting more white-collars. However, we have yet to define whether this change is due to an increase of white-collars applying for the CCP or instead the CCP neglecting a more “supportive” social group to the advantage of a powerful minority of applicants. The answer to this dilemma between supportive and powerful social groups is explained by the CCP's preference for a lower heterogeneity within the party and a higher socio-economic coherence between the party ranks and the national structure. Empirically, the paper analyzes the period between 2005 and 2017 using surveys across multiple waves, finding robust evidence that white-collars apply significantly less than laborers but are progressively recruited more by the CCP. Heckman selection models and robustness checks strengthen the main results.