Definition: Median Income

“The point that divides the household income distribution into halves, one-half with income above the median and the other with income below the median. The median is based on the income distribution of all households, including those with no income.” 

Averages are easily skewed by extremes, whereas medians are not. Averages can be tilted far in one direction if a small portion of people in an area make a lot of money and misrepresent the full picture of income distribution in one area. Medians take into account the number of people who have a given income, and provide a better sense of the middle of a distribution of income.