Mean Median and Mode Calculator
Mean
The mean, commonly known as the average, is calculated by adding all values in a dataset and dividing the sum by the total number of values. It gives an overall idea of the data’s central value but can be affected by extremely large or small numbers.
Median
The median is the middle value when a dataset is arranged in ascending or descending order. If there is an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle numbers. The median is useful when data contains outliers.
Mode
The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a dataset. A dataset may have one mode, more than one mode, or no mode at all.
Mean / Median / Mode Calculator
Enter numbers separated by commas (e.g., 5, 3, 9, 3, 7):
Three kinds of average
- Mean: add all the numbers and divide by how many there are.
- Median: sort the numbers and take the middle one. With an even count, take the average of the two middle numbers.
- Mode: the number that appears most often. A list can have more than one mode, or none if every number appears once.
Worked example
Numbers: 3, 7, 7, 2, 9.
- Mean = (3 + 7 + 7 + 2 + 9) ÷ 5 = 28 ÷ 5 = 5.6
- Sorted: 2, 3, 7, 7, 9, so the median is 7
- 7 appears twice, so the mode is 7
Which one should you use?
Use the mean when your data has no extreme values. Use the median when a few very large or very small values would pull the mean away from what is typical, for example salaries or house prices. Use the mode for categories or for the most common value, such as the most popular shoe size.
Example: five salaries of ₹30k, ₹32k, ₹35k, ₹38k and ₹5 lakh have a mean of about ₹1.27 lakh, which describes nobody. The median, ₹35k, is far more typical.
Frequently asked questions
Can the mean and median be the same?
Yes. When data is symmetrical, such as a perfect bell curve, the mean, median and mode are all equal.
How do I measure spread as well?
Use the standard deviation calculator. An average alone does not tell you how spread out the numbers are.