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Average Calculator

Paste or type a list of numbers to get the average. The mean, median, geometric mean, sum and extremes all update as you type.

Your numbers

Separate values with commas, spaces or new lines — a column pasted from a spreadsheet works as it is.
Working
356 ÷ 5 = 71.2
Values used
56, 75, 88, 45, 92
Average (mean)
71.2
How many values
5
Sum
356
Median
75
Geometric mean
68.6984
Lowest value
45
Highest value
92

How to use this calculator

  1. Type or paste your numbers into the box. Separate them with commas, spaces or new lines — all three work, and so does a mixture.
  2. Read the average at the top. The figures beside it are the same data described other ways: how many values, their total, the middle value, and the two extremes.
  3. Check the values-used line under the box if a figure looks wrong. It lists what the calculator actually read.

Nothing is uploaded. The calculation runs in the page, so a data set pasted here does not leave the browser.

How to calculate an average

The average, or arithmetic mean, is the total shared out equally between the values. Two steps: add, then divide.

Mean = Sum of the values ÷ How many values
  • Sum — every value added together, e.g. 356
  • How many — the count of values, e.g. 5
  • Mean — the average, e.g. 71.2

Working the example through: 56 + 75 + 88 + 45 + 92 = 356, and356 ÷ 5 = 71.2. The mean does not have to be one of the values, and often is not.

Which average should you use?

"Average" is not one thing. Three of them are shown here, and they answer different questions.

The three averages compared
AverageHow it is foundBest for
MeanAdd the values, divide by how many there areEvenly spread data — test scores, daily temperatures
MedianSort the values and take the middle oneSkewed data — salaries, house prices, response times
Geometric meanMultiply the values, take the nth rootRates of growth — interest, inflation, population

A quick test: if one extreme value would change your decision, look at the median. Ten salaries of £30,000 and one of £500,000 have a mean of £72,700 and a median of £30,000 — and the median is the one that describes what most people earn.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate an average?

Add every value together, then divide by how many values there are. For 56, 75, 88, 45 and 92 the total is 356 and there are five values, so the average is 356 ÷ 5 = 71.2.

What is the difference between the mean and the median?

The mean shares the total out equally; the median is the middle value once they are sorted. They differ whenever the data is lopsided — one very large salary pulls the mean up but barely moves the median, which is why pay and house prices are usually quoted as medians.

When should I use the geometric mean?

When the values multiply rather than add — growth rates, investment returns, ratios. Two years of 10% and 90% growth average to 50% arithmetically, but entering the growth factors 1.1 and 1.9 gives a geometric mean of 1.4457, so the true average rate is 44.57% — the rate that compounds to the same total. It needs every value to be positive.

How many numbers can I enter?

Up to a thousand. Commas, spaces, semicolons and new lines all work as separators, so a column copied straight out of a spreadsheet can be pasted in without reformatting.

Can I average negative numbers and decimals?

Yes, both. Temperatures below zero and prices with pence work exactly as typed. The geometric mean is the one exception — it needs all values above zero, so it shows a note instead of a figure when the list contains a zero or a negative.

What happens if I mistype a value?

The calculator names the entry it could not read and waits, rather than quietly dropping it. Silently ignoring an unreadable value would change the answer without telling you, which is worse than showing nothing.