Average Calculator – Calculate Mean, Median & More
Calculate the mean (average), median, and other statistics for any set of numbers. Enter values separated by commas or spaces for instant results.
Separate numbers with commas or spaces
"Average" usually means the mean – add up all values and divide by how many there are. But there are other averages too. The median is the middle value when sorted. The mode is the most common value. Each tells you something different about your data.
The mean is sensitive to outliers. One extremely high or low value can skew it significantly. The median ignores outliers – it only cares about the middle. That's why median household income is more meaningful than mean income for understanding typical earnings.
Example: Salaries at a Small Company
Employees earn: $40k, $42k, $45k, $48k, $50k, $52k, $200k (CEO)
Mean: $68,143 | Median: $48,000
The mean suggests a typical salary of $68k, but 6 of 7 employees earn less than $55k. The median ($48k) better represents what a typical employee earns.
| Measure | What It Is | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | Sum of all values ÷ count | Normally distributed data, no extreme outliers |
| Median | Middle value when sorted | Skewed data, data with outliers (income, home prices) |
| Mode | Most frequently occurring value | Categorical data, finding most common option |
| Range | Maximum - Minimum | Quick sense of data spread |
| Sum | Total of all values | Aggregating quantities (total sales, total scores) |
| Count | Number of values | Sample size, data completeness checks |
Add up all the numbers
This gives you the sum. For 5, 10, 15, 20, 25: sum = 75.
Count how many numbers there are
In our example: 5 numbers.
Divide the sum by the count
Mean = 75 ÷ 5 = 15. That's your average.
What's the difference between mean and average?
They're the same thing in everyday usage. "Mean" is the technical term; "average" is colloquial. Technically, there are multiple types of averages (mean, median, mode), but when someone says "average" they almost always mean the arithmetic mean.
When should I use median instead of mean?
Use median when your data has outliers or is skewed. Home prices, salaries, and wealth distributions are typically right-skewed – a few very high values pull the mean up. Median gives you the "typical" value better in these cases.
Can the average be a number that's not in my data?
Yes, frequently. The average of 1, 2, and 6 is 3 – which isn't in the original set. The average of 1 and 2 is 1.5. The mean doesn't have to be an actual data point; it's a calculated center.
How do outliers affect the average?
Outliers pull the mean toward them. One very high value increases the mean; one very low value decreases it. The effect depends on how extreme the outlier is and how many data points you have. With 100 values, one outlier has less impact than with 5 values.
What is a weighted average?
A weighted average gives different importance to different values. Your GPA is a weighted average: an A in a 4-credit class counts more than an A in a 1-credit class. Formula: sum of (value × weight) ÷ sum of weights.