Calculators

Mean Absolute Deviation Calculator

Calculate mean absolute deviation about the arithmetic mean for signed numeric data privately in your browser.

Calculate the average absolute distance from the arithmetic mean of your numbers. Your data stays in your browser.

Separate up to 10000 finite numbers, including zero and negative values, with newlines, commas, semicolons, or spaces. Use decimal points without thousands separators. Scientific notation is supported.

Your mean absolute deviation will appear here.

Measure the average absolute distance from the mean.

Enter up to 10000 finite numbers separated by spaces, commas, semicolons, or newlines. First find the arithmetic mean, then average the absolute differences: MAD = Σ|x − mean| / n. For 2, 4, 6, and 8, the mean is 5 and MAD is (3 + 1 + 1 + 3) / 4 = 2. Signed values and zero are supported. A single value or identical values have zero deviation. Each value has equal weight; use consistent units and the result shares those units. This is mean absolute deviation about the mean, not median absolute deviation or standard deviation. Scientific notation is accepted; do not use thousands separators. Results use floating-point arithmetic rounded to 12 significant digits. All processing stays in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this tool, how it works, and privacy.

How do I calculate mean absolute deviation?

Find the arithmetic mean, subtract it from each value, take each absolute difference, and average those differences. For 2, 4, 6, and 8, the mean is 5 and the mean absolute deviation is 2.

Is this median absolute deviation?

No. This tool averages absolute distances from the arithmetic mean. Median absolute deviation instead takes the median of absolute distances from the median.

How does this differ from standard deviation?

Mean absolute deviation averages absolute differences. Standard deviation squares differences, averages them (or divides by n − 1 for a sample), then takes a square root. Both describe spread in the original units.

Can I use zero or negative numbers?

Yes. Any finite signed values are accepted. One value or a dataset of identical values has zero deviation. Empty input, invalid values, and more than 10000 values are rejected.

Is my dataset uploaded?

No. Calculations run in your browser without uploading or storing your dataset. Displayed results are rounded to 12 significant digits.