What is the median and how is it calculated?
The median is the middle value in a sorted list of numbers. To find it, you arrange all values from smallest to largest and pick the one in the center. When the dataset has an even number of values, the median is the average of the two center values. For example, the median of 3, 7, and 9 is 7, while the median of 3, 7, 9, and 15 is (7 + 9) ÷ 2 = 8.
Why use the median instead of the mean?
Unlike the mean, the median is resistant to outliers. A single extreme value cannot pull it far from the center of the data. Consider 1, 2, 3, 4, and 100: the mean is 22, but the median is 3—a much better description of most of the values. This is why the median is the standard summary for household income, real-estate prices, and any other distribution that is heavily skewed.
How to use this median calculator
Type your numbers into the input box, separated by commas. You may include integers, decimals, and negative numbers—for example "4.5, -2, 17, 8, 0.3". Press Calculate median to see the result. The tool displays the median, the first and third quartiles (Q1 and Q3), count, sum, mean, minimum, maximum, and the fully sorted list so you can verify the answer at a glance.
Practical applications
The median is used daily across many fields: economists report median income because it better represents typical earnings; real-estate agents quote median home prices to avoid distortion from luxury properties; teachers analyze median test scores to gauge class performance without letting a few extreme results skew the picture; and quality-control engineers use the median to monitor manufacturing tolerances.
Quick tips
Always compare the median with the mean. If they are close, the data is roughly symmetric. If the mean is much larger (or smaller), outliers or skew are present and the median is more reliable. This free calculator runs entirely in your browser—no sign-up, no download, and instant results on any device. Bookmark the page for quick access whenever you need to find the median of a data set.