Choose Between the Mean and the Median
Put comparable measurements into the same list and use consistent units.
Decide what your list represents
Put comparable measurements into the same list and use consistent units. A blank entry is missing information, while zero is a real numerical value. Do not replace missing measurements with zero unless that is the intended meaning.
Watch for an extreme value
In the list 4, 5, 6 and 101, the mean is 29 and the median is 5.5. The large value pulls the mean upward. Neither result should be reported without understanding what the measurements represent.
Check the middle pair
For an even count, sort the values and average the two central ones. For 1, 4, 8 and 9, the median is (4 + 8) ÷ 2 = 6. It does not have to be one of the original values.
Keep weighting and interpretation separate
If one figure represents ten observations and another represents one, an unweighted mean may not answer your question. This tool gives descriptive arithmetic, not a judgement about significance, missing data or the quality of a sample.
Put it into practice
Percentage Calculator
Calculate a percentage of a number, find what percentage one number is of another, or measure percentage increase and decrease.
Numbers & textAverage, Median & Range Calculator
Find the mean, median, sum, range and extremes of a list of numbers.
Numbers & textRounding Calculator
Round to decimal places or powers of ten, with explicit nearest, floor and ceiling rules.
Numbers & text