The colon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first. In such usage, the colon functions in much the same way as the semicolon. As with the semicolon, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless the word is ordinarily capitalized.
The median household income in 2014 was $53,719, which means that half of American households make less than this amount, and half make more. Since the median is significantly below the average, it tells us that there are more households with below-average household income than above-average, and that the average is distorted by a small percentage of high-income households.
Census: Seattle Median Household Income Tops National Average. SEATTLE (AP) â A U.S. Census Bureau snapshot of Seattle shows that the median household income here was more than $60,000 in 2011, which is about $10,000 more than the national average. The 2011 American Community Survey also found that the median value for an owner-occupied home was $420,400, compared to the national average of $173,600.