Average Calculator (Mean, Median, Mode)

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 5 October 2026

Numbers (comma or space separated)

Result

Mean18
Working(4 + 8 + 15 + 16 + 23 + 42) ÷ 6 = 18
Median15.5
Modenone, every value is unique
Range38
Minimum4
Maximum42
Sum108
Count6

The working on one line — and the median beside it

Paste a list of numbers and get the mean with its working, plus the median, mode, range and sum. Shows why the three averages often disagree.

The mean is the sum of the numbers divided by how many there are. The calculator finds it for any list and writes out the working on a single line, ready to copy into homework.

The median and the mode sit next to it, because 'average' means three different things. The mean gets dragged by extremes; the median ignores them; the mode only cares what repeats.

How to use

Paste the numbers separated by commas, spaces or line breaks; order does not matter, and decimals can use a point.
The mean and its working appear at once: the sum in brackets, the division by the count, and the answer.
Compare the mean with the median. A wide gap means the data is skewed — perhaps by an outlier, one very large or very small value. Check which values are pulling the mean.
For grades with different weights, such as a test that counts more than a quiz, use a weighted average rather than the plain mean.

Mean, median and mode part company for a reason

For the set 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9 the mean is 5, the median 4.5 and the mode 4. Each describes the same numbers from a different angle: the mean feels every extreme value, the median ignores them, and the mode reports the most common.

A gap between mean and median is the signature of a skew. Here the nine pulls the mean above the median. Pay and prices skew the same way, which is why those figures are usually published as medians.

The set 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9. Worked out with this calculator.
Measure	Value	What it reports
Mean	5	the total divided by the count
Median	4.5	the middle of the ordered list
Mode	4	the most frequent value
Range	7	from 2 to 9

How to find the mean

Add all the numbers and divide the total by how many there are: x̄ = (x₁ + x₂ + … + xₙ) ÷ n. For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 the sum is 108, there are six numbers, and the mean is 108 ÷ 6 = 18.

Test scores work the same way. For 85, 92, 78, 90 and 95 the sum is 440 and the mean of the five scores is 440 ÷ 5 = 88. To check, multiply the mean by the count: 88 × 5 = 440, the original total, so the arithmetic is right.

Zeros and negative numbers

A zero is a number like any other: it adds nothing to the sum but increases the count. The mean of 2, 4 and 0 is 6 ÷ 3 = 2, not 3. If a zero really means 'no data', leave it out rather than entering it.

Negative numbers are added with their sign. For −3, 5 and 7 the sum is 9, and the mean is 9 ÷ 3 = 3 — the way an average temperature over a few winter days lets the frosty and the mild days balance out.

Mean, median or mode: which to use

The median is the middle value of the sorted list and the mode is the most frequent one. In a roughly symmetric, single-peaked set all three can sit close together; skew, several peaks or outliers pull them apart, and a list with no repeats has no mode at all.

Say five people earn $40,000, $45,000, $50,000, $55,000 and $300,000. The mean is $490,000 ÷ 5 = $98,000, although four of the five earn less than $56,000. The median, $50,000, describes a typical salary more honestly — which is why income statistics quote the median, while grades, where outliers are rare, use the mean.

Grade averages and weighted averages

The plain mean suits numbers that count equally. When grades carry different weights — a final exam worth three times a quiz, say — each grade is multiplied by its weight and the total is divided by the sum of the weights. There is a separate weighted grade calculator for that.

What this calculator shows

The mean with its working on one line
The median, mode and range from the same list
Minimum, maximum, sum and count

What to keep in mind

Values may be separated by commas, spaces or line breaks.
When no value repeats, there is no mode, and the tool says so rather than inventing one.

FAQs

What is the mean in simple terms?

It is what everyone would get if the total were shared out equally. Five friends spend $10, $20, $30, $40 and $50 — on average $30 each, which is what each would pay if the $150 bill were split five ways.

How do I find the mean of five numbers?

Add the five numbers and divide by 5. For 12, 15, 9, 20 and 14 the sum is 70, so the mean is 70 ÷ 5 = 14.

Do zeros affect the average?

Yes. A zero leaves the sum unchanged but adds to the count, so the mean moves towards zero: a positive mean falls, a negative one rises. If a zero stands for missing data, leave it out of the list.

When should I use the median instead of the mean?

Whenever outliers are present or the data is skewed — incomes, house prices, response times. One extreme value can move a mean and barely touch a median.

Can a dataset have more than one mode?

Yes. If two values tie for most frequent, both are modes and the set is bimodal.

What is the range good for?

A quick sense of spread: the range is the largest value minus the smallest. It only reflects those two extremes, so the standard deviation describes the data far better.

Worked example

Where mean and median part ways

Input: 1, 2, 2, 3, 4

Output: Mean 2.4 · Median 2 · Mode 2

Note: Add a single 100 to that list and the mean jumps to 18.7 while the median only moves to 2.5. That gap is the whole reason both exist.

Useful links

All tools in Math & Statistics

Average Calculator (Mean, Median, Mode)

Result

Related tools

Weighted Grade Calculator

Standard Deviation Calculator

GPA Calculator

Useful links