Mean vs. Median — Which Average?
The mean (arithmetic average) adds all values and divides by the count. The median is the middle value when sorted. Both are "averages," and choosing the wrong one is one of the most common statistical mistakes.
Mean = (x₁ + x₂ + … + xₙ) ÷ n
Worked Example
Numbers: 12, 15, 22, 8, 95. Mean = 152 ÷ 5 = 30.4. Median (sorted: 8, 12, 15, 22, 95) = 15. The single outlier 95 dragged the mean far above four of five values — the median stayed representative.
When to Use Which
- Mean: symmetric data without extreme outliers — test scores, temperatures, measurement series.
- Median: skewed data — incomes, house prices, response times. "Median household income" is the standard for good reason.
Entering Data
Paste or type numbers separated by commas, spaces, semicolons or line breaks — the calculator parses them all and ignores anything that isn't a number, so you can paste straight from a spreadsheet column.