Frequency Table Calculator
Use this free frequency table calculator to count how often each value appears in your data. It also shows the relative frequency, the percent and the cumulative frequency, and it can group numbers into classes.
Frequency Table Calculator
Paste your data, choose a method and get your table instantly.
Step-by-Step Solution
What Is a Frequency Table?
A frequency table is a simple way to organize data. It lists each different value (or group of values) and shows how many times it appears. Instead of reading a long list of numbers, you can see at a glance which values are common and which are rare.
Frequency tables work for numbers, such as test scores, and for categories, such as favorite colors or survey answers. They are often the first step before drawing a bar chart or a histogram.
Frequency, Relative Frequency and Cumulative Frequency
A full frequency table can have several columns. Each one answers a different question.
- Frequency (f): how many times a value appears.
- Relative frequency: the share of the data that a value makes up, found by dividing the frequency by the total number of values.
- Percent: the relative frequency multiplied by 100.
- Cumulative frequency: a running total of the frequencies, adding each row to all the rows above it. The last row always equals the total.
- Cumulative percent: the cumulative frequency as a percent of the total.
Here f is the frequency of a value and n is the total number of values. Cumulative frequency is most useful for data that has a natural order, such as scores or sizes. For categories without an order, such as colors, it is less meaningful.
Grouped Frequency Tables
When data has many different numbers, a table with one row per value becomes too long. A grouped frequency table puts the values into classes (intervals) of equal width and counts how many values fall in each class.
To choose the classes, find the range (largest value minus smallest value), decide how many classes you want, and divide the range by that number. Then round the result up to a convenient number to get the class width. A common rule of thumb for the number of classes is Sturges' rule:
Here n is the number of values. This is only a guide, and most tables use between 5 and 15 classes. Each class in our calculator includes its lower limit and leaves out its upper limit, so that every value belongs to exactly one class. The midpoint of a class is the average of its two limits.
Frequency Table Calculator Examples
Example 1: dice rolls
There are 20 rolls. The value 1 appears 2 times, 2 appears 3 times, 3 appears 6 times, 4 appears 3 times, 5 appears 3 times and 6 appears 3 times. The relative frequency of 3 is 6 ÷ 20 = 0.30, or 30%, so 3 is the most common roll. The cumulative frequencies are 2, 5, 11, 14, 17 and 20.
Example 2: categories
There are 12 answers. Blue appears 5 times, Green 3 times, Red 3 times and Yellow once. The percents are 41.67% for Blue, 25% for Green, 25% for Red and 8.33% for Yellow, and they add up to 100%. The most popular color is Blue.
Example 3: a grouped table
The classes and their frequencies are 40 to under 50 (1 value), 50 to under 60 (2), 60 to under 70 (4), 70 to under 80 (5), 80 to under 90 (4) and 90 to under 100 (4). The total is 20. The class with the most values is 70 to under 80, with 5 values.
More Frequency Table Examples
These extra worked examples show how to choose the number of classes, how to read percentages from cumulative frequencies, how to find a median from a frequency table, and why percentages can add up to 99.99. Remember that relative frequency is the frequency divided by the total number of values.
Example 4: How many classes, and how wide?
You have 64 values that range from 25 to 95. Suggest the number of classes and the class width.
Answer: use about 7 classes, each with a width of 10.
By Sturges' rule, the number of classes is about 1 + log₂(64). Because 2⁶ = 64, log₂(64) = 6, so the number of classes is 1 + 6 = 7. The range is 95 − 25 = 70, so the class width is 70 ÷ 7 = 10. The classes would be 25 to under 35, 35 to under 45, and so on, up to 85 to under 95, with the last class holding 95 as well if you make the final limit inclusive. If a value sits exactly on an upper limit, add one more class so that no value is left out. This rule is only a guide, so you can choose a different number of classes if another width makes the table easier to read.
Example 5: Reading percentages from the cumulative column
Use the grouped table from Example 3. What percent of the students scored below 70, and what percent scored 80 or more?
Answer: 35% scored below 70, and 40% scored 80 or more.
The cumulative frequency up to the class 60 to under 70 is 1 + 2 + 4 = 7. The total is 20, so the percent below 70 is 7 ÷ 20 × 100 = 35%. The cumulative frequency up to the class 70 to under 80 is 12, so the number of students with 80 or more is 20 − 12 = 8. That is 8 ÷ 20 × 100 = 40%.
Example 6: Finding the median from a frequency table
Shoe sizes in a small group are 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10. Find the most common size and the median size.
Answer: the most common size (the mode) is 8, and the median size is also 8.
The frequencies are: size 6 appears 1 time, size 7 appears 2 times, size 8 appears 3 times, size 9 appears 2 times and size 10 appears 1 time. The cumulative frequencies are 1, 3, 6, 8 and 9. There are 9 values, so the median is the 5th value. The cumulative frequency first reaches 5 or more at size 8 (it jumps from 3 to 6), so the 5th value is 8. The highest frequency is also at size 8, so the mode is 8. For the full middle value of any list, you can also use our Median Calculator.
Example 7: Why percentages may add up to 99.99
Six people answer a question: Yes, Yes, No, No, Maybe, Maybe. Find the relative frequency and the percent for each answer.
Answer: each answer has a relative frequency of about 0.3333 and a percent of about 33.33%, and the rounded values add up to 99.99% instead of 100%.
Each answer appears 2 times out of 6, so the relative frequency is 2 ÷ 6 = 0.333333… Rounded to four decimals, this is 0.3333, and to two decimals as a percent it is 33.33%. Adding the three rounded percents gives 33.33 + 33.33 + 33.33 = 99.99. The true total is exactly 1, or 100%, so this small gap comes only from rounding. Our calculator shows the total row as 100%.
Common mistakes when making a frequency table
A common mistake is to miss a value or count one twice, so always check that the frequencies add up to the total number of values. Another is to use classes of different widths, which makes the table hard to compare. Also remember to decide how to treat values that fall exactly on a class limit, and to use the same rule for every class. To summarize the same data with its mean and spread, try our Descriptive Statistics Calculator.
Created by Sajid Ali, SmartStatCalc · Last updated: 12 November 2026
Found a mistake or have a suggestion? Contact us.
How to Use Our Frequency Table Calculator
- Choose the table type: each value, or grouped into classes.
- For each-value tables, choose whether your data is numbers or words.
- Type or paste your data into the Data Values box.
- For a grouped table, enter the class width, and a starting value if you want one.
- Click the Make Frequency Table button and read the table and the step-by-step solution.
Click Reset at any time to clear everything and start again. To find the middle value of the same data, try our Mode Calculator or the Range Calculator.
Why Use SmartStatCalc?
SmartStatCalc is built to make everyday statistics quick and easy to understand. Instead of tallying by hand, you can paste your data and see a clear table right away.
Who Can Use a Frequency Table Calculator?
Students use frequency tables in statistics and math classes. Teachers use them to summarize test scores, and survey makers use them to count answers. They are also a quick first look at any data before you calculate averages or draw charts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a frequency table?
It is a table that lists each value, or each class of values, and how many times it appears in your data.
What is relative frequency?
It is the frequency divided by the total number of values. It shows the share of the data that a value makes up.
What is cumulative frequency?
It is a running total of the frequencies. Each row adds its frequency to all the rows above it, so the last row equals the total number of values.
How many classes should I use?
A common guide is about 1 + log₂(n) classes, and most tables use between 5 and 15. Choose a width that makes the table easy to read.
Which values go in which class?
In our calculator, a class includes its lower limit and leaves out its upper limit. So a value of 50 goes into the class that starts at 50.
Can I use words instead of numbers?
Yes. Choose Words or categories, and separate the entries with commas or line breaks. The calculator treats upper and lower case as the same word.
Why do my percentages not add up to exactly 100?
Each percent is rounded, so the rounded values can add up to a little more or less than 100. The total row shows the exact total.
Is this Frequency Table Calculator free?
Yes. SmartStatCalc's Frequency Table Calculator is free to use online.
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If you use this calculator in your work, you can cite it like this:
SmartStatCalc. (2026). Frequency Table Calculator. https://smartstatcalc.com/frequency-table-calculator/