Median Calculator

What is the Median?

The median is the middle value in a dataset when arranged in order. It divides the data into two equal halves - 50% of values are below the median and 50% are above it.

How to Calculate Median

1. Sort all numbers from smallest to largest
2. If odd count: median is the middle number
3. If even count: median is the average of the two middle numbers

When to Use Median vs Mean

• Use Median when: Data has outliers or is skewed (e.g., house prices, salaries)
• Use Mean when: Data is normally distributed without extreme values

Example

Salaries: $30k, $35k, $40k, $42k, $500k

• Median: $40k (better represents typical salary)
• Mean: $129.4k (skewed by $500k outlier)