How do I calculate the average (mean)?

Add up all the numbers and divide by how many there are. For 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 the sum is 108 and the count is 6, so the mean is 108 ÷ 6 = 18.

What is the difference between mean and median?

The mean is the arithmetic average; the median is the middle value when numbers are sorted. The median resists outliers — one huge value pulls the mean up but barely moves the median, which is why median income is often reported instead of mean.

The most frequently occurring value in the set. A list can have one mode, several modes, or none if all values are unique.

Average Calculator

Paste or type a list of numbers to get the mean, median, mode, range, sum, and count — the full summary at a glance.

Mean (average)

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Median

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Mode

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Range

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Sum

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Count

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Min / Max

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The formulas

Mean = sum ÷ count
Median = middle value (or average of the two middle values) when sorted
Mode = most frequent value · Range = max − min

Worked example

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42: sum 108, count 6 → mean 18; sorted middle pair 15 & 16 → median 15.5; range 42 − 4 = 38.

Mean vs. median: which to trust

The mean is the everyday "average," but it's easily distorted by outliers — one billionaire in a room makes the mean net worth enormous while the median (middle person) barely moves. That's why economists report median income and home prices. Rule of thumb: use the mean for symmetric data and the median when the data is skewed or has extreme values. The standard deviation calculator tells you how spread out the numbers are around the mean.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate the average?

Sum ÷ count. 4,8,15,16,23,42 → 108 ÷ 6 = 18.

Mean vs. median?

Mean is the arithmetic average; median is the middle value and resists outliers.

What is the mode?

The most frequent value; a set may have one, several, or none.

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Last reviewed: July 2026.