Average Calculator
Calculate the mean, median, mode, and range of any data set.
Enter Numbers
Separate numbers with commas or spaces
Sample Data
Statistical Results
Mean (Average)
Sum: 75 ÷ Count: 5
Median
Middle value
Mode
Most frequent
Range
Max - Min
Count
Number of values
Standard Deviation
Spread of data
Variance
σ² (population)
Data Overview
How it works
The average (arithmetic mean) is the single number that best represents a set: add up all the values and divide by how many there are. Two close cousins describe a data set differently — the median (the middle value) and the mode (the most frequent), which can each be more telling when the data is skewed.
Mean, median, mode
Mean = (sum of values) ÷ (count) Median = middle value when sorted Mode = most frequent value
- sum
- all the values added together
- count
- how many values there are
Worked example
- Values: 4, 8, 15, 16
- Sum = 4 + 8 + 15 + 16 = 43
- Count = 4
Mean = 43 ÷ 4 = 10.75.
Good to know
- The mean is pulled by outliers — one huge value drags it up. When data is skewed (incomes, house prices), the median is often more representative.
- A weighted average lets some values count more than others (like GPA, where credits are the weights).
- Mean, median, and mode are equal only for a perfectly symmetric distribution.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between mean, median, and mode?
The mean is the sum of all values divided by how many there are; the median is the middle value when sorted; the mode is the most frequent value. Each summarizes a data set differently, and they only coincide for perfectly symmetric data.
How do I calculate an average?
Add the values and divide by the count: for 4, 8, 15, and 16, the sum is 43 and the mean is 43 ÷ 4 = 10.75. The result always lies between the smallest and largest value in the set.
When is the median better than the mean?
When data is skewed or has outliers — incomes, home prices, response times. One billionaire in a room of fifty people drags the mean income into the millions while the median barely moves, so the median better represents a "typical" value.
What is a weighted average?
An average where some values count more than others: multiply each value by its weight, sum, and divide by the total weight. GPA works this way — a 4.0 in a 5-credit course moves your average more than a 4.0 in a 1-credit course.
How do outliers affect the average?
A single extreme value can pull the mean far from the bulk of the data — adding 1,000 to the set 4, 8, 15, 16 moves the mean from 10.75 to about 208.6. Check the median and range alongside the mean to spot when this is happening.