Calculators
Median Absolute Deviation Calculator
Calculate unscaled median absolute deviation and the median of signed numeric data privately in your browser.
Measure spread around the median.
Enter up to 10000 finite numbers separated by spaces, commas, semicolons, or newlines. Find the median, then the median of the absolute distances from it: MAD = median(|x − median(x)|). For 1, 2, 3, 4, and 100, the median is 3 and the absolute distances are 2, 1, 0, 1, and 97, giving MAD = 1. For even counts, each median averages the two middle sorted values. This unscaled MAD does not apply the approximately 1.4826 normal-consistency factor and is distinct from mean absolute deviation. It is less sensitive to extreme outliers and can be zero even when some values differ. Signed values and zero are supported; a single value has zero deviation. Use consistent units. Scientific notation is accepted; omit thousands separators. Results use browser floating-point arithmetic rounded to 12 significant digits. Calculations stay in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this tool, how it works, and privacy.
How is median absolute deviation calculated?
Find the median of the values, calculate each absolute distance from that median, then take the median of those distances. For 1, 2, 3, 4, and 100, the median is 3 and MAD is 1.
Is this a scaled MAD?
No. This tool returns raw or unscaled MAD. It does not multiply by the approximately 1.4826 factor sometimes used to estimate standard deviation for normally distributed data.
How does this differ from mean absolute deviation?
Median absolute deviation uses medians for both the center and the distances. Mean absolute deviation averages absolute distances from the arithmetic mean. Median absolute deviation is less sensitive to outliers.
Can MAD be zero for different values?
Yes. For example, 1, 1, and 10 have median 1 and distances 0, 0, and 9, whose median is zero. One value or identical values also have zero MAD.
What inputs are supported and is my data uploaded?
Enter up to 10000 finite signed numbers separated by spaces, commas, semicolons, or newlines. Scientific notation is supported. Data stays in your browser; results display up to 12 significant digits.