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To calculate the median in SPSS, first gather the data that you want to find the median for. Then, go to the “Analyze” menu and select “Descriptive Statistics.” Choose the variables you want to use and click “Statistics.” Check the box next to “Median” and then click “Continue” and “OK.” The median will then be displayed in the output window. Alternatively, you can use the COMPUTE command to create a new variable that calculates the median for a specific variable or set of variables.
In statistics, the median represents the middle value of a dataset.
It is also equal to the value located at the 50th percentile.
The median is calculated by arranging all of the observations in a dataset from smallest to largest and then identifying the middle value.
The easiest way to calculate the median of a dataset in SPSS is to use Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Frequencies.
The following example shows how to do so in practice.
Example: How to Calculate Median in SPSS
Suppose we have the following dataset in SPSS that shows the exam scores received by various students in some class:
To calculate the median value of exam scores, click the Analyze tab, then click Descriptive Statistics, then click Frequencies:
In the new window that appears, drag Exam_Score to the Variables panel:
Then click the Statistics button. In the new window that appears, check the box next to Median under the Central Tendency group:
Then click Continue. Then click OK.
The following output will appear:
This represents the “middle” value of exam scores.
We can verify that this is correct by manually arranging all of the values from the exam score column from smallest to largest and identifying the middle value:
Exam Scores: 68, 76, 85, 86, 88, 88, 91, 92, 94, 95, 95, 96, 97, 97, 97
The value 92 is indeed the middle value.
Related:
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in SPSS: