Average (Mean) Calculator
The average (or mean) is one of the most common measures of central tendency in statistics. It is calculated by summing all values and dividing by the number of values. This calculator computes the arithmetic mean, median (middle value), and mode (most frequent value) of a dataset. You can enter numbers separated by commas or one per line. The calculator automatically computes the sum, count, mean, median, and mode, helping you understand the distribution and central tendency of your data. The mean is widely used in daily life: calculating grade point averages, average temperatures, average salaries, and many other applications.
Formulas
Mean = (sum of all values) / (count of values)
Median = middle value when sorted
Mode = value that appears most frequently
Example calculation
| Values | Sorted | Mean | Median | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5, 7, 7, 9 | 5, 7, 7, 9 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7 |
| 2, 4, 6, 8 | 2, 4, 6, 8 | 5.00 | 5.00 | None |
| 10, 20, 100 | 10, 20, 100 | 43.33 | 20.00 | None |
Average calculator: frequently asked questions
What is the average (mean)?
The average (or mean) is the sum of all values divided by the number of values. For example, the average of 2, 4, and 6 is (2 + 4 + 6) / 3 = 12 / 3 = 4.
What is the difference between mean, median, and mode?
The mean is the sum divided by count. The median is the middle value when data is sorted. The mode is the value that appears most frequently. For skewed data, these three can be quite different.
When should you use the average?
The average (mean) is used to find a typical value for a set of data. It is useful for finding the average test score, average temperature, average income, etc. However, it can be affected by outliers (extremely high or low values).
What is an outlier?
An outlier is a value that is much larger or much smaller than the other values in a dataset. Outliers can significantly affect the average. For example, if you calculate the average salary and include a CEO, it may be much higher than a typical employee salary.
Why is the median sometimes better than the mean?
The median is not affected by extreme outliers, making it a better representation of a typical value in skewed data. For example, in house prices, the median is often more representative than the mean because a few extremely expensive houses can inflate the average.
Official sources
- Mean, median, mode: NIST Special Publication 330.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 14 June 2026. See our methodology.