Median Calculator
Paste a dataset and get the median with the sorted list, the exact middle position or pair, and a box plot. Odd and even counts are handled separately, and the numbers never leave your browser.
- No upload
- Worked steps
- Free, no sign-up
100% Local in Browser — Your Data Never Leaves This Tab
Comma, space, tab or newline separated. Paste an Excel column directly; blank lines and labels are ignored.
Try a sample
Paste a dataset to begin
The worked steps, table, box plot and summary update as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How it works
- 1
Paste the data
Use commas, spaces, tabs or an Excel column. Blank lines and labels are ignored, so a copied gradebook column can go straight in. The dataset is stored only in this browser tab’s session and is shared with the other five calculators.
- 2
Find the middle
The values are sorted first. With an odd count the median is the single middle value; with an even count it is the mean of the two middle values. The worked steps show the position arithmetic instead of only the final number.
- 3
Check the shape
A box-and-whisker plot puts Q1, the median and Q3 beside the min and max, and marks points outside the 1.5 × IQR fences. That is how one unusually high homework score stands out without changing the median.
More tools
- Mean CalculatorAdd a list of numbers and see the mean with the sum, the count and every substitution in Σx / n. The dataset stays in your browser and carries over to the median, SD, IQR and z-score pages.
- Standard Deviation CalculatorGet sample or population SD with a row-by-row deviation table, the definition formula and the computational Σx² − n·x̄² formula. Copy the APA result or switch to population variance without re-pasting the data.
- Average CalculatorFind the average of any list with the sum, count and substitution shown line by line. Also called an average finder; the page reports the arithmetic mean and compares it with the median so a skew does not fool you.
- Interquartile Range (IQR) CalculatorCompare Q1, Q2, Q3 and IQR under the TI-83/84/AP exclusive rule, Tukey’s inclusive hinges and Excel QUARTILE.INC interpolation. See the 1.5 × IQR fences, potential outliers and a live box plot.
- Z-Score CalculatorTurn x, μ and σ into a z-score and a left-tail, right-tail or two-tailed probability, or standardize every value in your dataset at once. The standard normal curve fills the same area the table reports.
What it won't do
- The median is a positional statistic: it does not use the size of the other values, so it is robust to outliers but throws away information the mean keeps.
- An empty value is not silently changed to zero. Only numeric tokens are read; if the count looks wrong, check the pasted data rather than assuming a missing number was included.
- The three quartile conventions can produce different Q1/Q3 values. The box plot uses the TI-83/84 and AP Statistics convention; the IQR page compares all three.
- Everything runs in this tab. A very large paste is limited by the browser, not by an account or an upload quota.
Questions
How do I find the median with an odd number of values?
Sort the data and take the value in position (n + 1) / 2. For nine values that is the fifth one. The page prints the sorted line and the position so you can copy the working, not just the answer.
What if there are two middle numbers?
With an even count there is no single middle value. Add the two middle numbers and divide by two. For the ten-value sample 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28, 31, 35, 40 the middle pair is 22 and 25, so the median is 23.5.
Is the median the same as Q2?
Yes: Q2 is another name for the median. Q1 and Q3 are the medians of the lower and upper halves, but the halves are where TI-84 and Excel can disagree. The IQR calculator shows the exclusive, Tukey hinge and linear-interpolation versions side by side.
Why is the median different from the mean?
The mean adds every value and divides by n, so a 98 in a class of mostly 20s pulls it up. The median only asks which value sits in the middle, so that same 98 usually leaves it unchanged. The Quick Summary card shows both, which is often the point of a homework question.
Does the box plot mark outliers?
Yes. It computes the 1.5 × IQR fences and draws values outside them as separate dots. The fences use the selected quartile convention; on this page the default is the TI-83/84 / AP Statistics convention.
Is my data uploaded?
No. There is no upload endpoint on this page. Parsing, sorting and SVG drawing all happen in JavaScript in the tab, and the dataset is kept in sessionStorage only so the other calculator pages can reuse it.