How to Find the Average in a Python Dictionary

Finding the average value in a Python dictionary can be very useful for data analysis and processing. In Python, a dictionary is a built-in data type that allows for the storage of key-value pairs.

These pairs can hold a versatile range of data which can be strings, integers, floating numbers, or other Python objects. In this tutorial, we will show you how you can easily find the average in a Python Dictionary.

Step 1: Create a Python Dictionary

First, we need to have a Python dictionary. Let’s assume we have a dictionary where keys are student names and values are their grades:

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student_grades = {
    'Jack': 85,
    'Jill': 78,
    'Steve': 92,
    'Anna': 87,
    'Leo': 95,
}

Step 2: Calculate the Average

Then, we will calculate the average grade. Python’s built-in sum() function will sum up all the dictionary values. We divide this total by the count of the items, which we get with the built-in len() function:

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average = sum(student_grades.values()) / len(student_grades)

Step 3: Output the Result

Lastly, we will print the average:

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print('The average grade is:', average)

The expected output will be:

The average grade is: 87.4

Full Code

Here is the complete Python code we have used:

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student_grades = {
    'Jack': 85,
    'Jill': 78,
    'Steve': 92,
    'Anna': 87,
    'Leo': 95,
}
 
average = sum(student_grades.values()) / len(student_grades)
print('The average grade is:', average)
 
The average grade is: 87.4

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to calculate the average of dictionary values in Python. The simplicity of Python’s syntax along with powerful built-in functions for statistical calculations makes it a great language for data processing and analysis.

Keep practicing with different kinds of data and continue exploring Python’s vast capabilities for handling data.