Example 1
- 1
- 5
- 3
- 4
- 2
3
What is the median of 1, 5, 3, 4, 2? 3. Middle after sorting.
Median (5 numbers)
Type five numbers in five fields. The calculator sorts them and returns the middle. 1, 5, 3, 4, 2 give 3. 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 give 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 give 3.
Exactly five fields, not a list. After sorting the result is the third value. An integer median goes as a string.
Results
Enter data and click Calculate.
How it works
The median of five numbers is the middle value after ordering. The calculator builds an array from five fields, sorts it, and returns arr[2], the third. 1, 5, 3, 4, 2 line up as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, so the middle is 3.
This is not a list from one field. The neighbouring median calculator takes any sequence and, for an even count, averages the two middles. Here you always have five separate entries and one middle.
The fields are a through e. Typed order does not matter, because the calculator is sorting anyway. 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 give 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 give 3: one hundred does not move the middle, unlike the arithmetic mean.
The arithmetic mean of that same five 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 climbs. The median stays 3. That is why those two cards sit next to each other.
The header units switch does not multiply anything. 1, 5, 3, 4, 2 stay 3 whatever the label says. An integer result is String, with no six zeros.
1, 5, 3, 4, 2 give 3. All tens give 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 give 3. Five fields, the middle after sorting.
Formula
median = sort([a, b, c, d, e])[2]
How to use
- Type five numbers, for example 1, 5, 3, 4 and 2.
- Click Calculate. The median comes out 3.
- Five tens give 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 give 3.
- The calculator sorts and takes the third. This is not a list from one field.
- An open list lives on the median calculator. A list mean lives on the arithmetic mean.
1, 5, 3, 4, 2 give 3
Median of five fields. The calculator is sorting and takes the middle. 1, 5, 3, 4, 2 give 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 give 3.
- median
- The middle after ordering. 1, 5, 3, 4, 2 give 3.
- sorting
- Five fields go ascending. Then the third value. Typed order does not matter.
- middle
- arr[2] after sorting. With 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 the middle stays 3.
Examples
Example 2
- 10
- 10
- 10
- 10
- 10
10
What is the median of five 10s? 10. All equal.
Example 3
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 100
3
What is the median of 1, 2, 3, 4, 100? 3. One hundred does not move the middle.
Related calculators
Common questions
What is the median of 1, 5, 3, 4 and 2?
3. After sorting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the third is 3.
Is this a list from one field?
No. Five separate fields. The list lives on the median calculator next door.
What do five 10s give?
10. Five equals, the middle is 10 too.
What do 1, 2, 3, 4 and 100 give?
3. One hundred sits at the end after sorting and does not move the middle.
Does field order change the result?
No. The calculator is sorting anyway. 5, 1, 4, 2, 3 also give 3.
How is the median different from the mean?
The mean follows an outlier. 1, 2, 3, 4, 100 have mean 22, median 3.
What about an even count?
Here you always type five entries, so there is one middle. Averaging two middles is on the list card.
Can the result be a fraction?
Yes, when the middle is not an integer. An integer goes as a string.
Does a comma in 1.5 work?
Yes. 1.5 and 1,5 are the same number.
Where is the mean of a list?
On the arithmetic mean calculator. Here you stay with the middle of five fields.
Knowledge sources
The calculator computes the same formula as the definition below.
Page updated in 2026.