# Median

> A chart word, with the charts that use it.

**Definition.** The median is the middle value: half the data sits above it, half below. Unlike the average, a few extreme values don't pull it.

Updated Nov 2, 2026

## 043 · Box plot

- **01 The median line.** The line inside each box.
- **02 The middle half.** The box around it holds half the values.

## Where you see it

- [043 · Box plot](https://usechartory.com/charts/box-plot): Distribution · AI data

## Common mistakes

- **Average where the median belongs** One slow request lifts the average. For latency, use the median and P95.
- **A median with no spread** Show the box or the P95 too, so readers see how wide it is.

## Questions

### Median or average?

The median for skewed data such as latency or prices; the average when values are even.

### Is P50 the median?

Yes. P50 is another name for the median.

## Related terms

- [Quartile](https://usechartory.com/glossary/quartile): The values that cut sorted data into four equal parts; the box in a box plot.
- [Distribution](https://usechartory.com/glossary/distribution): How values spread across a range: where they cluster and where they thin out.
- [Outlier](https://usechartory.com/glossary/outlier): A value far from the rest, drawn on its own so it is not hidden.
- [Whisker](https://usechartory.com/glossary/whisker): The line from a box to the lowest and highest values that are not outliers.

## Box plot and the other types.

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Every chart word, A to Z. [Open the glossary](https://usechartory.com/glossary)