Mean, Median & Mode Calculator

Paste a list of numbers to get the mean, median, mode, range, sum, count, minimum and maximum, plus the sorted data. Separate values with commas or spaces.

How to use the mean, Median & Mode Calculator

  1. Type or paste into the Numbers box.
  2. The result updates instantly as you type. There is no button to press.
  3. Use Copy result to copy the figures, or Copy link to share a link that reopens the mean, Median & Mode Calculator with the same inputs.

How it works

"Average" can mean three different things, and each answers a slightly different question. The mean adds all the values and divides by how many there are. It uses every number, which makes it sensitive to extreme values. The median is the middle value once the list is sorted, so half the values are below it and half above. The mode is the value that appears most often.

When data is skewed, the mean and median can tell very different stories. Household income is the classic example: a few very high earners pull the mean up, so the median is usually the better description of a "typical" household. House prices, waiting times and website visit durations behave the same way. For symmetrical data, such as heights in a large group, the mean and median are close together.

The mode is most useful for repeated values, such as the most common shoe size sold or the most frequent score on a quiz. A list can have one mode, several modes (bimodal or multimodal), or none if every value is unique. The calculator also gives the range (maximum minus minimum), a quick measure of spread. For a fuller picture of spread, use the standard deviation calculator.

Formula

Mean = (x₁ + x₂ + … + xₙ) / n Median = middle value of the sorted list (average of the two middle values if n is even) Mode = most frequent value Range = maximum − minimum

Example

For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, 8: the sum is 116 and there are 7 numbers, so the mean is 116 ÷ 7 ≈ 16.57. Sorted, the list is 4, 8, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, so the median is the 4th value, 15. The number 8 appears twice, so the mode is 8. The range is 42 − 4 = 38. Notice how the single large value, 42, pulls the mean above the median.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use the median instead of the mean?

Use the median when the data has outliers or is skewed, such as incomes, house prices or response times. It better represents a typical value in those cases.

How is the median found for an even number of values?

Sort the list and take the mean of the two middle values. For 3, 5, 8, 10 the median is (5 + 8) ÷ 2 = 6.5.

Can there be more than one mode?

Yes. If two or more values tie for the highest count, they are all modes. If every value appears once, there is no mode.