This page isn't translated yet, so its text is in English. Function names and formulas are shown in your Excel language.
Excel function · Statistics
MEDIAN
Returns the middle value of a set of numbers.
What it does
MEDIAN sorts the numbers and returns the one in the middle. With an even count, it averages the two middle ones. A few extreme values barely move it, which makes it a fairer "typical" value than the average for things like salaries or house prices.
Syntax
=MEDIAN(number1, [number2], …)Arguments in square brackets are optional, and … means you can add more of the same. In this Excel language, arguments are separated by ,
Arguments
- number
- The first number, cell or range. Add more arguments for other ranges.
Example
Five salaries in thousands: what is the typical salary?
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salary (k) | Median | |
| 2 | 30 | 35 | |
| 3 | 32 | ||
| 4 | 35 | ||
| 5 | 38 | ||
| 6 | 120 |
The formula in C2:
=MEDIAN(A2:A6)Result: 35
Sorted, the salaries are 30, 32, 35, 38, 120. The middle one is 35. The average would be 51, pulled up by the single 120.
Common mistakes
- Expecting it to be one of the values when the count is even. Then it is halfway between the two middle values.
- Sorting the data first.
MEDIANdoesn't need sorted data.
In other Excel languages
Excel translates function names, and in some languages the argument separator too. Type the name your Excel shows.
| Excel language | Function name | Separator |
|---|---|---|
| English | MEDIAN | , |
| Deutsch | MEDIAN | ; |
| Français | MEDIANE | ; |
| Español (España) | MEDIANA | ; |
| Español (México) | MEDIANA | , |
| 日本語 | MEDIAN | , |
| 한국어 | MEDIAN | , |
| 繁體中文 | MEDIAN | , |
| ไทย | MEDIAN | , |
| ខ្មែរ | MEDIAN | , |
| Tiếng Việt | MEDIAN | ; |