CenterLab

Mean, Median, Mode Calculator

The three classic measures of centre — together.

Numbers

Mean: 5.7
Median: 5.5
Mode: 3
Range: 6

What you entered

Values: 10

1
Sort the values
n = 10= 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9
2
Mean (average)
57 ÷ 10= 5.7
3
Median (middle value)
average of the two middle values once sorted= 5.5
4
Mode (most frequent value)
value(s) appearing most often= 3
5
Range
9 − 3= 6

Result

Mean: 5.7

Mean 5.7, median 5.5, mode 3 — a wide gap between mean and median usually signals skew from outliers.

Mean, median, mode and range for worked datasets

Each row runs the same dataset through all four measures. Mode is blank where every value appears exactly once.

Dataset	Mean	Median	Mode	Range
2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9	5.00	4.50	4	7.00
10, 12, 23, 23, 16, 23, 21, 16	18.00	18.50	23	13.00
1, 2, 3, 4, 5	3.00	3.00	none	4.00
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30	17.50	17.50	none	25.00
70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100	85.00	85.00	none	30.00
3, 7, 7, 19, 24, 30, 32, 45	20.88	21.50	7	42.00

Rows three to five have no mode at all, because a mode requires a repeated value - and a dataset can equally have several. Compare mean and median in row one: the mean of 5.00 sits above the median of 4.50 because the single 9 pulls the average up while leaving the middle value alone. That gap is the quickest test for skew, and it is why median income is normally reported rather than mean income. Range uses only the two extreme values, so a single outlier changes it completely; the interquartile range is the more robust spread measure.

Three different ideas of 'average'

Mean is the arithmetic average, median is the middle value when sorted, and mode is the most frequent value — they usually sit close together, but diverge sharply when outliers or skew are present.

Why the difference matters

Household income is a classic case: a few extremely high earners pull the mean well above the median, which is why 'median income' is usually the more representative figure for a typical household.

Frequently asked questions

Five houses on a street sold for $200K, $220K, $210K, $230K, and $1.2M. What's the best 'average'?

Mean = $412K (misleadingly high because of the mansion). Median = $220K (the actual middle value — much more representative). Mode doesn't help here (no repeats). When one extreme value distorts the picture, median is the better measure.

What if my data has two modes?

It's bimodal — two values tie for most frequent. This often reveals two distinct groups in your data (e.g., test scores clustering around 65 and 85 might indicate two skill levels in the class). Some datasets have no mode at all if every value is unique.

How is this different from the statistics calculator?

The statistics calculator gives you everything at once — mean, median, mode, range, variance, standard deviation, and more. This calculator focuses specifically on central tendency (mean, median, mode) with clearer explanations of when to use each one.

Which average should I report?

Symmetric data without outliers: mean (most common, most familiar). Skewed data or outliers present: median (robust to extremes). Categorical data or 'most popular': mode. When in doubt, report all three — their relationship reveals the shape of your data.

Can the mean, median, and mode all be the same?

Yes — in a perfectly symmetric distribution (like a perfect bell curve), all three are identical. In practice, the closer they are, the more symmetric your data is. When they diverge, the data is skewed: mean > median = right-skewed, mean < median = left-skewed.