Calculate the midrange of a data set — the average of the maximum and minimum — plus the range, mean, median, midhinge, and trimean for comparison, updating live as you type.
Data Set
Separate numbers with commas, spaces, or new lines. Formatted numbers like 1,250 are supported.
3 values parsed0 invalid tokens ignored
Midrange
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Enter a data set above to compute the midrange.
Min (—) Midrange (—) Mean (—) Median (—) Max (—)
midrange = (max + min) / 2
Step-by-Step Calculation
Enter data values above to see calculation steps.
Range
Computed from the same data set entered on the Midrange tab — the range is the spread between the maximum and minimum values, and the two extremes that also define the midrange.
Range
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Enter a data set on the Midrange tab to compute the range.
range = max − min
Midrange vs. Mean, Median & L-Estimators
All key measures of center and L-estimators computed from your data set. Comparing the midrange against robust estimators reveals outlier influence.
Midrange, mean, median, midhinge, and trimean comparison
Measure
Formula / Definition
Value
Midrange
(Max + Min) / 2
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Mean
Sum / n
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Median
Middle value (50th percentile)
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Midhinge
(Q1 + Q3) / 2 (Middle 50% center)
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Tukey's Trimean
(Q1 + 2*Median + Q3) / 4
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Trimmed Midrange
(Max_2nd + Min_2nd) / 2 (n ≥ 5)
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Outlier Sensitivity (OSI)
|Midrange − Median| / (IQR / 2)
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Enter a data set on the Midrange tab to compare it against mean, median, and robust L-estimators.
Statistical Rigor & Verification
Verified by Statistical Review BoardLast Verified: July 2026 | Next Audit: July 2027
This midrange tool calculates non-parametric location and scale statistics in accordance with standard mathematical specifications. Unlike sample means or medians, the midrange is an L-estimator with a breakdown point of zero, making it extremely sensitive to extreme values.
Academic References & Standards:
NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods:Section 1.3.5.2. Measures of Location. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Reference
Kendall's Advanced Theory of Statistics: Stuart, A., & Ord, J. K. (2010). Distribution Theory (6th ed.). Wiley.
ISO 3534-1:2006:Statistics — Vocabulary and symbols — Part 1: General statistical terms. International Organization for Standardization.
The midrange is one of the simplest measures of center in statistics: just average the highest and lowest values in a data set.
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Walk-through
How to Use This Calculator
3 steps▸
1
Enter your data set
Type or paste your numbers into the Data Values box, separated by commas, spaces, or new lines. You can also click one of the preset chips to load an example instantly.
2
Read the midrange
The calculator finds the maximum and minimum values in your data set and averages them: midrange = (max + min) / 2. The result updates instantly as you edit the data.
3
Compare against the range, mean, and median
Switch to the Range tab to see the spread between the extremes, or the vs Mean/Median tab to see how the midrange stacks up against the two more commonly used measures of center.
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Reference
Formula & Methodology
2 formulas▸
Midrange
midrange = (max + min) / 2
The midrange is the arithmetic average of only the largest and smallest values in a data set. It ignores every other value, which makes it fast to compute but very sensitive to outliers.
Range
range = max − min
The range measures the total spread of the data set using the same two extreme values the midrange is built from.
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Glossary
Key Terms Explained
6 terms▸
MidrangeThe average of the maximum and minimum values in a data set: (max + min) / 2. It is a quick, rough measure of the center of a data set.
MaximumThe largest value in a data set.
MinimumThe smallest value in a data set.
RangeThe difference between the maximum and minimum values in a data set: max − min. It describes how spread out the data is.
Measure of centerA single number meant to summarize the 'typical' value in a data set. Mean, median, mode, and midrange are all measures of center, each with different strengths and weaknesses.
Outlier sensitivityHow much a single unusually high or low value can distort a statistic. The midrange is highly outlier-sensitive because it is built entirely from the two most extreme values.
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Scenarios
Real-World Examples
3 worked examples▸
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Quick example
Three values
Data set 2, 5, 9
Minimum is 2 and maximum is 9, so the midrange is (2 + 9) / 2 = 5.5. The range is 9 − 2 = 7. Here the midrange (5.5) is close to the mean (5.33) and the median (5), because the data has no extreme outliers.
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Everyday spread
Daily high temperatures (°F) over a week
Data set 68, 72, 71, 75, 70, 74, 69
Minimum is 68 and maximum is 75, giving a midrange of (68 + 75) / 2 = 71.5 and a range of 7. With no outliers, the midrange again lands close to both the mean and median — a useful quick check on a compact, evenly spread data set.
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Outlier warning
Mostly small values with one large outlier
Data set 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 50
Minimum is 4 and maximum is 50, so the midrange is (4 + 50) / 2 = 27 — far above every value except the outlier. The mean (11.71) and median (6) both describe the data set much better here. This is the classic failure mode of the midrange: a single extreme value can drag it far from where the data actually clusters.
The midrange is one of the simplest measures of center in statistics: just average the highest and lowest values in a data set. It takes seconds to compute by hand and is useful as a rough, order-of-magnitude check — but because it only looks at two data points, it can be misleading whenever a data set has an outlier.
How the Midrange Calculator works
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The calculator scans your data set for the maximum and minimum values, then averages them: midrange = (max + min) / 2. It also computes the range (max − min), the arithmetic mean (sum of all values divided by count), and the median (the middle value when the data is sorted) so you can see all four measures side by side.
Unlike the mean, which factors in every value, or the median, which factors in the data's rank order, the midrange depends entirely on the two extreme values. Every value in between — no matter how many there are or where they cluster — has zero effect on the midrange.
When the midrange is useful — and when it isn't
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The midrange works best on small, symmetric data sets with no extreme outliers, such as a short run of temperature readings or measurement bounds in engineering and quality control (where the midpoint between a min and max spec is a meaningful reference point). In those cases it often lands close to the mean and median, and it can be computed instantly without summing the whole data set.
The midrange breaks down quickly once outliers appear. Because it uses only the two extremes, a single unusually high or low value can pull it far from where most of the data actually sits — much more so than the mean, and far more than the median, which barely reacts to extreme values at all. For skewed or outlier-prone data, the median or a trimmed mean is almost always a better choice.
Midrange vs. mean vs. median
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All three are measures of center, but they answer slightly different questions. The mean answers "what is the total divided evenly across every value?" The median answers "what is the value in the middle when everything is sorted?" The midrange answers only "what's halfway between the smallest and largest values?" — which is a much narrower, and much more fragile, question. Use the vs Mean/Median tab above to see how far apart these three numbers are for your own data.
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Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
6 questions▸
What is the formula for midrange?+
Midrange = (maximum + minimum) / 2. Find the largest and smallest values in your data set, add them together, and divide by two.
How is midrange different from the mean?+
The mean averages every value in the data set, so every data point contributes to it. The midrange only uses the two most extreme values (the maximum and minimum) and ignores everything else, so it can diverge sharply from the mean when the data set has an outlier.
Is the midrange sensitive to outliers?+
Yes, very. Because the midrange is built entirely from the two extreme values, a single unusually high or low data point can shift it dramatically — far more than it would shift the mean, and much more than the median, which is largely unaffected by extreme values.
What is the difference between midrange and range?+
Range measures the spread of the data (max − min); midrange measures the center (the average of max and min, i.e. (max + min) / 2). They're computed from the same two extreme values but answer different questions — spread versus center.
What units does the midrange use?+
The midrange is always in the same units as your original data — dollars, degrees, points, or whatever the data set represents. No conversion is applied.
Should I use the midrange as the 'true' center of my data?+
Treat it as a rough, quick estimate rather than a definitive one. For a more reliable measure of central tendency — especially on data with outliers or skew — the mean or median is usually a better choice. The midrange is most useful as a fast sanity check or when you specifically care about the midpoint between two known bounds.
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