Mastering Median Computation: A Step-by-Step Guide Using Microsoft Excel

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Calculating the median is useful in many cases. With its MEDIAN function, Microsoft Excel makes it easy to find the median for any odd or even set of numbers. Here’s how.

What Is the Median in Excel?

The median is the number in the middle of a sorted set of numbers. For example, if your numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, your median is 3. Or, if your numbers are 1, 8, and 9, the median is 8.

However, in the case that the count of numbers in your series is even, the average of the two middle numbers is considered the median. Notably, the median is different from the mean , which is the average of a set of numbers.

Keep in mind that Excel ignores any empty cells while calculating the median.

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| Functions | AVERAGE · CONCATENATE · COUNT · COUNTIF · DATEDIF · FILTER · FREQUENCY · FV · HYPERLINK · IF · IFS · IMAGE · INDEX · IS · LEN · MATCH ·MEDIAN · RAND · ROUND · RRI · SORT · SQRT · SUBSTITUTE · SUBTOTAL · SUM · SUMIF · TODAY · TRIM · TRUNC · VLOOKUP · WEEKDAY · XLOOKUP · YEAR | |
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| Explained | Copying Formulas · Evaluating Formulas · Finding Functions · Fixing Formula Errors · Functions vs Formulas · Comparing Lookup Functions · Locking Formulas · Structuring Formulas · Translating Formulas | |

How to Find the Median in Excel

To start the median calculation process, first, open your spreadsheet with Microsoft Excel. In your spreadsheet, select the cell in which you want to display the resulting median.

In the selected cell, type the following formula using the

    `MEDIAN`

function and press Enter. In the function, replace

    `D2`

and

    `D6`

with the range where you have your numbers.

=MEDIAN(D2:D6)

If you’d like to directly enter your numbers in the function, then enter your numbers in the function as shown below. Each number is separated by a comma.

=MEDIAN(10,20,30,40,50)