Descriptive Statistics Analyzer

The Descriptive Statistics Analyzer turns pasted numbers into mean, median, mode, range, variance, standard deviation and z-scores, with every step shown.

How to Calculate Mean, Median, Mode and Standard Deviation

Paste a list of numbers separated by commas, spaces or new lines. The analyzer sorts them and works out each summary statistic step by step, with a dot plot of the data.

1

Measure the center

The mean is the sum divided by the count. The median is the middle value once the list is sorted, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even. The mode is the value that appears most often, and a dataset can have more than one mode or none.

2

Measure the spread

The range is the largest value minus the smallest. The variance is the average squared distance from the mean, and the standard deviation σ is its square root, in the same units as the data. This analyzer uses the population formulas, dividing by n.

3

See the shape

The dot plot stacks repeated values, marks the mean and median, and shades one standard deviation either side of the mean. When the mean sits well away from the median, the data is skewed toward the side of the mean.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between population and sample standard deviation?
The population formula divides the summed squared deviations by n, and the sample formula divides by n − 1, which gives a slightly larger value. Use the population version when your list is the whole group, and the sample version when it is a sample used to estimate a larger group. This analyzer reports the population version.
When should I use the median instead of the mean?
Use the median when the data has outliers or a long tail, such as incomes or house prices. A single very large value pulls the mean up a lot but barely moves the median.
What if no number repeats?
Then the dataset has no mode. If two or more values tie for the most appearances, they are all modes.
How do you calculate the standard deviation by hand?
Find the mean, subtract it from each value, square the results, average those squares to get the variance, then take the square root. For 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9 the mean is 5, the variance is 4 and the standard deviation is 2.