Reading the evidence
The mean adds values and divides by their count; the median is the middle ordered value. Outliers and skew can separate them, so each describes a different centre.
Make it click
Most homes on a street have similar prices, while one mansion is enormous. The mean moves towards the mansion; the middle home's price changes little.
Now put that into markets
Market returns, company sizes and trade outcomes are often skewed. Showing both centres can reveal whether a few observations drive the average.
Weighted means answer questions where observations contribute differently. Medians ignore distance beyond order and can hide tail magnitude.
Plot the distribution, report count and choose the centre that matches the question. Do not substitute median for an expected monetary outcome without reason.
Neither statistic is automatically truthful. Multimodal data may have no single representative centre.
Takeaway
