Median Calculator
Enter your data values and find the median, the value that sits right in the middle of a sorted dataset. You will also see the mean, count, min, max, range, and the sorted order of your numbers.
What is the median? The median is the middle value when you sort your data from smallest to largest. If you have an odd number of values, it is the one right in the center. If you have an even number, it is the average of the two center values.
Why use the median instead of the mean? The mean (average) gets pulled toward extreme values. If five people earn $40K, $45K, $50K, $55K, and $500K, the mean is $138K but the median is $50K. The median gives you a better sense of what is "typical" when outliers are present.
How to find the median by hand:
- Sort your values from smallest to largest
- If the count is odd, the median is the value at position (n+1)/2
- If the count is even, the median is the average of values at positions n/2 and n/2+1
Example with odd count: For the values 3, 7, 1, 9, 5, sort them to get 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. The middle value is 5, so the median is 5.
Example with even count: For the values 2, 4, 6, 8, sort them to get 2, 4, 6, 8. The two middle values are 4 and 6, so the median is (4+6)/2 = 5.