Mean, median and deciles: three views of salaries
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No single number describes an entire salary distribution. Mean, median and deciles answer different questions.
The mean includes every amount
The mean is the sum of salaries divided by the number of people. Extreme values affect it, so it need not describe the most common salary or the person in the middle.
The median marks the middle
The median splits ordered values into two halves. Purely mathematical example: for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 20, the median is 3 and the mean is 6. These are not real salaries; they illustrate why mean and median can differ.
Deciles show intervals
Deciles divide an ordered distribution into ten groups of roughly equal population. Nine thresholds identify intervals but cannot give an exact position within them. Two people in the same decile may earn different amounts.
Compare a compatible population
The calculator uses the 2024 EPA: employees, gross main-job earnings and a twelve-month average. Part-time pay is not converted to full-time equivalents. It cannot establish wealth or classify household income or self-employment earnings.
Check the calculation
The tool includes a formula, an explicit example and sources. No registration or transmission of your amounts is needed.
Open calculatorProject sources and methodology. This guide uses mathematical examples, not population statistics.