Mean Absolute Deviation Calculator
A plain measure of spread: on average, how far values sit from the centre.
Mean absolute deviation about the mean
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Share sends a link that reopens these numbers. Copy details pastes the full breakdown as a list.
Values read —
Mean absolute deviation about the median —
Median absolute deviation about the median —
Mean —
Median —
Reading this —
The formula
MAD = Σ|x − x̄| ÷ n
The average distance from the mean, ignoring direction. The divisor is n.
What to watch out for
Squaring gives large deviations extra weight in the standard deviation. Absolute deviation does not, so it is less affected by a stray value.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is it different from standard deviation?
Standard deviation squares the deviations first. For 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9 the mean absolute deviation is 1.5, while the population standard deviation is 2.
What is the median absolute deviation?
The median of the distances from the median. It is the most resistant of the three to outliers.