How it works
The average (arithmetic mean) adds up every value in the list, then divides by how many values there are.
Formula: Average = sum of the values ÷ number of values.
Examples
A short list
The average of 10, 20 and 30 is (10 + 20 + 30) ÷ 3 = 20.
Values that are not whole numbers
The average of 4.5 and 5.5 is (4.5 + 5.5) ÷ 2 = 5.
Things to keep in mind
- This calculator finds the mean specifically. The median (the middle value) and the mode (the most frequent value) can both differ from the mean, especially when a list has a few unusually large or small values — a Mean, Median & Mode Calculator that reports all three is planned.
- An empty list has no average, so at least one value is required.