Mean Calculator
Quickly calculate the arithmetic mean of a list of numbers.
The arithmetic mean — add up all the values, divide by how many there are — is the most common "average" people mean when they say the word, though it's not always the most representative one.
When mean is the right choice (and when it isn't)
Mean works well for data without extreme outliers — test scores, measurements, typical daily values. For data with skew or outliers (income, home prices), median often gives a more representative "typical" figure than mean does.
Frequently asked questions
Does one outlier really change the mean that much?
Yes, especially with a small dataset — a single extreme value pulls the mean noticeably in its direction, while median is far more resistant to outliers.
What's the difference between mean and average?
In everyday use, they're the same thing — "average" almost always refers to the arithmetic mean unless someone specifies median or mode instead.