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Find the median (middle value) of a dataset. Enter numbers separated by commas, spaces, or new lines.
The median is the middle value in a dataset when the numbers are arranged in order. It divides the dataset into two equal halves and is less affected by outliers than the mean.
Arrange all numbers in ascending order (smallest to largest).
Determine if you have an odd or even count of numbers.
Odd count: Take the middle number
Even count: Average the two middle numbers
Numbers: 8, 15, 4, 23, 11
Sorted: 4, 8, 11, 15, 23
Count: 5 (odd)
Median = 11
Numbers: 8, 15, 4, 23, 11, 19
Sorted: 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23
Count: 6 (even)
Median = (11 + 15) ÷ 2 = 13
Income, house prices, test scores with outliers
A few extreme values won't affect the median significantly
Good for rankings and scales (1-5 ratings, etc.)
The mean is the sum divided by count (average), while the median is the middle value. The median is better for skewed data because outliers don't affect it. For example, in salaries of $30k, $32k, $35k, $38k, and $500k, the mean is $127k but the median is $35k—more representative.
No, there is always exactly one median value. With an odd count, it's the middle number. With an even count, it's the average of the two middle numbers. This differs from mode, which can have multiple values.
If all numbers are identical, the median equals that number. For example, the median of 5, 5, 5, 5 is 5.
Yes! You must sort the numbers in order (ascending or descending) before finding the median. Our calculator does this automatically.
For two numbers, the median is their average. For example, the median of 10 and 20 is (10 + 20) ÷ 2 = 15.
The same way! Just sort them (remembering -10 is less than -5) and find the middle. For -10, -5, 0, 5, 10, the median is 0.