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Average Calculator

This average calculator takes any list of numbers and returns the mean, median, mode and range, plus the count, sum, minimum, maximum and geometric mean. Paste values separated by commas, spaces or new lines, and every statistic updates live as you type, so you can trim outliers and watch the average shift.

Built & reviewed by the TurboTeamTools team · Updated September 2026 · 0 uses on this device

Average Calculator tool

–Mean (average)
–Median
–Mode
–Range
–Count
–Sum
–Minimum
–Maximum
–Geometric mean

How to use it

  1. Type or paste your numbers, separated by commas, spaces or new lines.
  2. Read the mean, median, mode and range at the top.
  3. Use the extra stats like sum, min and max for a fuller picture.

What is an average?

An average, or arithmetic mean, is the one number that best stands in for a whole list. Add every value, then divide by how many values there are:

mean = sum of values ÷ count of values

For 2, 7, 19, 24 and 25 the sum is 77 and the count is 5, so the mean is 15.4. The mean spreads the total evenly across every item, which is why it fits test scores, prices and hours. It is not the only kind of average, though. The median takes the middle value and the mode takes the most common one, and each answers a slightly different question about what is typical.

Worked example

Input: 2, 7, 19, 24, 25
→
Result: Mean 15.4, median 19, range 23

Five types of averages compared

TypeHow it worksBest forMini example
Arithmetic meansum ÷ countEveryday scores and totalsMean of 4 and 9 is 6.5
Weighted meanΣ(value × weight) ÷ Σ(weights)Grades, portfolios90 and 70 weighted 3:1 give 85
Geometric meannth root of the productGrowth rates, returnsGeometric mean of 4 and 9 is 6
Harmonic meancount ÷ sum of (1 ÷ value)Speeds and other ratesHarmonic mean of 4 and 9 is about 5.54
Moving averageMean of the last n values, updated as data arrivesTrends over timeLast three days of 10, 12, 14 average 12

Mean, median and mode explained

The mean is what most people call the average: add every number and divide by how many there are. For 2, 7, 19, 24 and 25 the sum is 77 and there are five values, so the mean is 15.4. It is the right choice when values are fairly even, but a single very large or very small number can pull it off center.

The median is the middle value once the numbers are sorted. With five values that is the third one, 19. With an even count, average the two middle numbers: the median of 3, 5, 8 and 10 is 6.5. Because it only cares about position, the median ignores extreme outliers, which makes it the better summary for home prices or salaries. The mode is the value that shows up most often, and the range is the gap between the largest and smallest number, 25 minus 2, or 23.

When mean and median disagree

Five salaries of $40,000, $45,000, $50,000, $55,000 and $300,000 have a mean of $98,000 and a median of $50,000. The mean is mathematically correct and still misleading, since four of the five people earn nowhere near it. When the two numbers sit far apart, the data is skewed and the median usually tells the more honest story. When they are close, the distribution is roughly symmetric and either will do.

The geometric mean multiplies the values and takes the nth root, and it only works when every number is positive. It is the right average for growth rates. A portfolio that gains 10% one year and 30% the next has multiplied by 1.10 and then 1.30, and the geometric mean of those factors is the square root of 1.43, about 1.196, so the true average return is 19.6% a year rather than 20%. For the sample list above, the geometric mean is about 11, well below the arithmetic mean of 15.4. It always comes out lower unless every value is identical.

Common uses

  • Averaging test scores and grades
  • Summarizing survey or sensor data
  • Comparing prices, salaries or ratings
  • Checking a dataset before deeper analysis
  • Finding the typical value in a skewed list
  • Averaging growth rates with the geometric mean

When to use it

  • You need to know how to calculate the average of percentages from several equal-length tests.
  • You are checking how to find the average of negative numbers, since the tool reads minus signs correctly.
  • Home prices in a listing look skewed, so you want the median of the data set instead of the mean.
  • You pasted a column from a spreadsheet and want the mean, median and mode of a data set in one shot.
  • You track daily sales and want a quick typical value before building a chart.

Related tools

The Sum Calculator is the lighter option when you only need the total of a list, not its statistics.

The Grade Calculator handles weighted averages, where a midterm counts more than a quiz.

The GPA Calculator averages letter grades by credit hours on the 4.0 scale.

Frequently asked questions

They are the same thing in everyday use. The mean is the sum of the values divided by how many values there are, which is what people usually mean by average. Statisticians say ‘mean’ because ‘average’ can also loosely refer to the median or mode.
Add all the numbers together and divide by how many there are. For 70, 80, 90 and 100 the total is 340, and 340 ÷ 4 is 85. Paste the list above and the tool does the addition and division for you.
Use the median when your data has outliers or is skewed, such as incomes or house prices. The median is the middle value and is not dragged up or down by one extreme number.
Sort the numbers, take the two in the middle, and average them. For 4, 8, 15 and 16 the middle pair is 8 and 15, so the median is 11.5. With an odd count, the median is simply the single middle value.
If every number appears the same number of times, there is no mode and the tool shows ‘none’. If several values tie for most frequent, all of them are listed.
Growth rates, returns and ratios, where values multiply rather than add. Gains of 10% and 30% average 19.6% a year by geometric mean, not 20%. It requires every value to be positive, so the tool shows ‘n/a’ if your list contains a zero or a negative number.
Multiply each value by its weight, add those products, and divide by the total weight. Scores of 90 and 70 weighted 3 to 1 give (90 × 3 + 70 × 1) ÷ 4, which is 85. This tool treats every value equally; for weighted scores use the grade calculator.
Use commas, spaces or new lines. You can even paste a column from a spreadsheet and the tool will read the numbers. Avoid thousands separators, though: 1,200 would be read as two values, 1 and 200, so type it as 1200.