Math Pros out there: Percentiles??

In descriptive statistics, a percentile is any of the 99 values that divide the sorted data into 100 equal parts, so that each part represents 1/100th (or 1%) of the sample or population. See also Quartile and Quantile.

Lets take height as an example. 5'4" is the median height of an American female. This is the 50th percentile. 50% are shorter 50% are taller. The 5th percentil would have all the very short people. 95th would have all the very tall people.

Percentile just describles how close something is to the norm. Most of the sample population is at the 50th percentile, right in the middle - average. Think of a bell curve, the top of the bell is at the 50th percentile.

If you are in, say, the 73rd percentile of your height, weight, IQ, etc. then theoretically out of every 100 people you pass on the street, 27 people will be taller, heavier, or smarter than you, and 72 will be shorter, thinner, or less smart than you.