MEDIAN
Finds the middle value of a sorted list: a typical salary or typical order value that rare extremes don’t distort.
MEDIAN(number1, [number2], ...)- [ ]optional part
- number1
- The first cell, a range like B2:B7 or a number.
- number2
- More cells or ranges, separated by commas. Optional.Optional
Return value
A number: the middle of the list after sorting. If there’s an even count of numbers, the function returns the average of the two middle ones.
Examples
Median vs. average salary
fx
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Employee
Salary, $
Measure
Value, $
Allen
68000
Median
Brooks
72000
Average
Carter
75000
Foster
81000
Garcia
79000
CEO
450000
Sheet1
Details
MEDIAN sorts the numbers in its head and takes the one in the middle: half the numbers are no greater than it, half are no smaller. If there’s an even count of numbers, it takes the average of the two middle ones.
The key difference from AVERAGE: one very large or very small number barely moves the median. That’s why a typical salary or home price is usually described by the median.
Common mistakes
- The median gets confused with the average: they’re different numbers, and with outliers they drift far apart.
- Empty cells and text are skipped, but zeros count and push the median down.