To understand the epidemiological characteristics of acute gastroenteritis and related social economic loss in Fangshan District, Beijing.Methods A 12 months cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 areas from April 2014 to Match 2015, aiming to analyze the incidence, symptoms, risk factors and its economic loss of acute gastroenteritis. Results Totally 1 678 people were interviewed. The average monthly prevalence of acute gastroenteritis was 0.65%(95%CI:0.27%-1.03%)and the incidence was 0.085 per person-year(95%CI:0.017-0.098 per person-year).It was estimated that 87 thousand cases of acute gastroenteritis occurred every year in Fangshan District.And 54.5%(6/11) of the cases believed that consuming contaminated food were the suspected causes. The incidence peak was in the second season. The risk factors of acute gastroenteritis were low educational level, lower family income and living in rural area. There were 72.7%(8/11) of the cases took medical care, about 54.5%(6/11) of the cases went to the hospital and 87.5%(7/8) of the cases who took medical care used antibiotics. The overall economic loss caused by acute gastroenteritis was about 32 million RMB, accounting for 0.62‰ of gross domestic product(GDP)of Fangshan District in 2014(51.93 billion RMB).Conclusion The disease burden of acute gastroenteritis was heavy in Fangshan Dictrict.The foodborne proportion of acute gastroenteritis was high and children were more vulnerable. The usage of antibiotics was frequent. It was necessary to strengthen foodborne disease surveillance system and burden of disease assessment. Further research is needed in order to conduct targeted intervention.