The mean, median, and mode are located at the same point in a symmetrical frequency distribution.

The mean is a computed average, whereas the median and the mode are positional.

Extreme values in the series affect the utility of the mean, but not of the median or the mode.

The presence of open-end classes excludes the use of the mean, but not of the median and sometimes not of the mode.

Varying class intervals usually make the mean unreliable, but do not affect the median. In such a case the mode may be found but only by reclassification through frequency densities.

Means may be combined, but not medians and modes.

The mean has four mathematical properties which make it indispensable in advanced statistical work. The median has one mathematical property, while the mode has none.

To compute the median and the mode, the data has to be sorted.

The median and the mode may be found graphically, but not the mean.