What is the MEDIAN Function
The MEDIAN function returns the middle value of a dataset when the numbers are sorted. If there is an even number of values, it returns the average of the two middle values. MEDIAN is not affected by extreme outliers, unlike AVERAGE.
Formula: =MEDIAN(number1, [number2], ...)
Practical Example 1
Values in C2:C6 are 70, 85, 90, 60, 75.
Type: =MEDIAN(C2:C6)
Result: 75 (the middle value)
Practical Example 2
Compare MEDIAN and AVERAGE to see the effect of outliers.
Type: =MEDIAN(A2:A100) and =AVERAGE(A2:A100)
Result: two different numbers if there are outliers
Practical Example 3
Get the median salary in a company.
Type: =MEDIAN(B2:B100)
Result: the middle salary
When to Use It
MEDIAN is used for salary analysis where outliers distort the average, for house price analysis, for survey response analysis, and for any data where the middle value is more meaningful than the mean.