Ticket KPIs · Ticket resale glossary
Median Ticket Price
Also known as: Median price, Median listing price
The median ticket price is the price in the middle: half of the tickets (listed or sold) cost less and half cost more.
Ticket prices are skewed — a handful of very expensive seats can drag the average up. The median isn't affected by those outliers, so it's a better picture of what a typical ticket costs.
A median well below the average listing price means a few expensive listings are pulling the average up. For sold tickets, see resale price percentiles.
How the median ticket price is calculated
Sort every price in the set from lowest to highest and take the one in the middle. With an odd number of prices it's the single middle value; with an even number it's the average of the two middle values. The set can be current listings (a median asking price) or completed sales (a median sale price, the counterpart of the average sale price), but never a mix of both.
As a formula: median = the value at position (n + 1) ÷ 2 in the sorted list, where n is the number of prices. For 11 prices that's the 6th; for 12 it's halfway between the 6th and the 7th.
Worked example: median vs average
Take an arena show with nine resale listings of one ticket each, priced at £45, £50, £55, £60, £65, £70, £80, £250 and £400. The prices add up to £1,075, so the average is about £119. The median is the fifth price in the sorted list: £65.
Two premium listings near the stage almost double the average, yet seven of the nine tickets cost £80 or less. A buyer reading the £119 average would expect to pay far more than they need to, and a seller pricing at the average would sit above almost the whole market. The median describes the typical ticket; the average describes total spend divided evenly.
Median asking price vs median sale price
The two medians answer different questions. The median asking price, built from listings on sale, shows where sellers currently sit, including optimistic prices that may never sell. The median sale price, built from completed transactions, shows what buyers actually paid. On an event with weak demand the asking median floats well above the sale median; when the two converge, sellers are pricing at what the market accepts.
Compare both with the get-in price. If the median is close to the cheapest ticket, the market is tightly packed; if it's far above, there is a long ladder of prices between entry level and typical.
Pitfalls when reading the median
The median is robust, but it still depends on what goes into it. Check these points before trusting the number:
- Small samples: with five or six prices, one new listing can move the median a long way. Treat it as indicative until there are a few dozen.
- Mixed sections: a venue-wide median blends floor and upper tier. To price a specific seat, use the median of comparable sections only (see section availability).
- Listings vs tickets: a listing of eight tickets can count once or eight times depending on the method, which shifts the result when brokers hold large blocks.
- Fees: some marketplaces show prices with buyer fees and others without, so compare medians from the same source and check whether marketplace fees are included.
- Hidden spread: the median says nothing about how wide prices are. Pair it with resale price percentiles to see the range around it.
Using the median to price a listing
A practical rule many sellers follow: list close to the median sale price of comparable seats for a reasonable chance of selling without racing to the bottom, below it when you need a quick sale, and above it only for clearly better seats. Re-check it as the event approaches, because the median usually drifts as the cheap tickets sell and late demand arrives.
Track it with Eventory
Eventory shows the median asking price for Vivid Seats events and median resale prices per venue and per section.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the median ticket price?
Sort all ticket prices from lowest to highest and take the middle one. With an even number of prices, average the two in the middle. For example, the median of £40, £60, £75 and £300 is £67.50, while the average is about £119.
Why is the median ticket price lower than the average?
Ticket prices are skewed upwards: a few expensive seats near the stage or premium packages raise the average, but they barely move the middle value. A median well below the average is normal and simply means the market has a long tail of high prices.
Is the median or the average better for ticket prices?
For a typical price, the median is more reliable because outliers barely affect it. The average is still useful for revenue maths, since average price multiplied by tickets sold gives the total value of sales. Most resellers look at both.
Does the median include tickets that haven't sold?
It depends on the source. A median asking price uses current listings, including tickets that may never sell at that price. A median sale price uses completed transactions only. Check which one you are reading before comparing events.
Where can I see median ticket prices?
Eventory shows the median price on the Vivid Seats tab of the event page, and median resale prices per venue and per top section on venue pages, alongside the 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles.