Is the mean greater than, less than, or equal to the median?

One of the basic tenets of statistics that every student learns in about the second week of intro stats is that in a skewed distribution, the mean is closer to the tail in a skewed distribution. So in a right skewed distribution (the tail points right on the number line), the mean is higher than the median.

Step-by-step explanation:

Is the mean always greater than the median in a right skewed distribution?

by Karen Grace-Martin Leave a Comment

One of the basic tenets of statistics that every student learns in about the second week of intro stats is that in a skewed distribution, the mean is closer to the tail in a skewed distribution.

So in a right skewed distribution (the tail points right on the number line), the mean is higher than the median.

It’s a rule that makes sense, and I have to admit, I never questioned it.

But a great article in the Journal of Statistical Education shows that it really only holds in ideali