The mean is the average, the median is the middle value, and the mode is the most frequently occurring value in a data set — each measures "typical" differently.
These are the three most common measures of central tendency in statistics, and they can each tell a different story about the same data.
The mean is sensitive to extreme values — a single very high income can pull an average income figure up even if most people earn far less. The median isn't affected by extremes the same way, which is why income and house-price statistics are often reported as medians. The mode is most useful for categorical data, like the most common shoe size sold.
Last reviewed: September 2026