What is the median?
The middle value once you line the numbers up in order. Half the data sits below it and half above, so it marks the centre of the set.
// maths › Statistics
Median Calculator
The middle value of a sorted list — or the mean of the two middle values when the count is even.
median = middle value of the sorted list
Frequently asked questions
What if there is an even number of values?
There is no single middle, so you take the two middle values and average them. For 1, 2, 3, 4 the middles are 2 and 3, giving a median of 2.5.
Why use the median instead of the mean?
Because it ignores how extreme the outliers are. House prices and incomes are usually reported as medians, since a few huge values would drag the mean to a figure that represents almost nobody.
Do I have to sort the numbers first?
Yes, sorting is the whole point. The calculator sorts them for you, but the median is meaningless until the values are in order.
Can the median equal the mean?
Yes, when the data is symmetric. The further apart they drift, the more skewed your data is, which is a useful clue in itself.