Final answer:
South Carolina, at the 52nd percentile, sits slightly above the median value, making it above average and not considered an outlier.
Step-by-step explanation:
Meaning of Percentiles
When a data point is said to be at the 52nd percentile, it means that 52% of the observations fall below that point. The key characteristic of the 50th percentile is that it represents the median, which is the middle value when all data points are ordered from least to greatest. Since South Carolina is at the 52nd percentile, it is slightly above average, indicating that it has a higher value than the middle point of the distribution, but it is not substantially higher to be considered an outlier. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is A. Above average.
Statistically, data points that are much lower or higher than the rest of the data are considered outliers. In this scenario, because South Carolina's placement at the 52nd percentile is relatively close to the median, it cannot be classified as an outlier.