How to Calculate a Five Number Summary in SPSS

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A five number summary is a way to summarize a dataset using the following five values:

• The minimum
• The first quartile
• The median
• The third quartile
• The maximum

The five number summary is useful because it provides a concise summary of the distribution of the data in the following ways:

• It tells us where the middle value is located, using the median.
• It tells us how spread out the data is, using the first and third quartiles.
• It tells us the range of the data, using the minimum and the maximum.

This tutorial explains how to quickly calculate a five number summary for a dataset in SPSS.

Example: Five Number Summary in SPSS

Suppose we have the following dataset in SPSS that displays the annual income (in thousands) of 15 individuals:

To calculate the five number summary for this dataset, click the Analyze tab, then Descriptive Statistics, then Frequencies:

In the new window that pops up, drag the variable income into the box labelled Variable(s).

Next, click the Statistics button. Make sure each of the following boxes is checked:

• Quartiles
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Median

Then click Continue.

Then click OK. The five number summary results will appear:

From the results we can see the five number summary for this dataset is as follows:

• The minimum: 18
• The first quartile: 34.00
• The median: 54.00
• The third quartile: 85.00
• The maximum: 108

Additional Resources

Five Number Summary Calculator
How to Calculate a Five Number Summary in Excel