LexBrew
Usage Entry 1455 / 1605 60-second read

Median vs. Mean

The middle value of a sorted list versus the arithmetic average.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

The median income is the average.

✓ Correct

The median income is the middle value when incomes are sorted. The MEAN income is the average. They differ — and that gap matters when income is skewed.

The ruleii

MEDIAN = middle. MEAN = average.

For data with outliers (income, house prices), MEDIAN is more representative — it isn't pulled by extreme values. MEAN is the arithmetic average. Bill Gates walking into a bar massively raises the mean income, barely changes the median.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

Median resists outliers.

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