Read the numbers
Mean vs. median pay
An average and a middle value tell different stories.
What does it mean?
Mean pay is the sum of pay divided by the number of people. Median pay is the middle value after pay is sorted from lowest to highest. In short, the mean is the average, and the median is the middle number in a group.
Why does it matter?
A few very high salaries can pull the mean upward even when most workers earn less.
How can it affect my pay or career?
Compare like-for-like jobs and areas. CCS highlights the BLS median as typical market pay; neither number predicts your individual offer.
Sources & dates
CCS content reviewed October 7, 2026. A review date is not a law’s effective date. Where a source has no single effective date, it is labeled as reference guidance. Open the official source for updates.
- BLS • OEWS wage definitions (opens in a new tab)
Reference: OEWS definitions; no single effective date