How to Calculate MAD (Mean Absolute Deviation) – A Simple Guide with Calculator

If you’ve ever wondered how spread out your data is, there’s a simple tool for that—it’s called MAD, or Mean Absolute Deviation.

Whether you’re a student, data analyst, or just curious about how data behaves, learning how to calculate MAD can help you understand how much variation there is in a dataset.

Let’s break it down in an easy, step-by-step way—and yes, there’s a calculator and infographic too! 📊

Want to skip the math? Use the calculator below—just enter your data values, and we’ll do the rest!

🙋‍♀️ What Is MAD?

MAD stands for Mean Absolute Deviation. It tells you the average distance between each number in your dataset and the mean (average) of the data.

It helps answer questions like:

• How consistent are my numbers?
• How much do they vary from the average?
• Is my data tightly clustered or all over the place?

🧮 MAD Formula

Here’s the basic formula:

MAD = (|x₁ − mean| + |x₂ − mean| + ... + |xₙ − mean|) ÷ n

Where:

• x is each number in the dataset
• mean is the average of the dataset
• |x − mean| means you take the absolute value of the difference
• n is the number of data points

📌 Step-by-Step Example

Let’s say your data set is:

[2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

1. Find the Mean:
   (2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10) ÷ 5 = 6
2. Find Absolute Deviations from the Mean:
   |2 − 6| = 4
   |4 − 6| = 2
   |6 − 6| = 0
   |8 − 6| = 2
   |10 − 6| = 4
3. Add the Deviations:
   4 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 4 = 12
4. Divide by Total Values:
   12 ÷ 5 = 2.4

✅ The MAD = 2.4

💡 Why Use MAD?

• It’s great for understanding variability
• It’s more intuitive than standard deviation
• It’s used in statistics, finance, forecasting, and more
• It’s resistant to extreme outliers

✨ Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a simple and clear way to measure data consistency, MAD is your go-to metric. It’s easy to calculate, powerful to understand, and super useful in real-world applications.