Monatsdurchschnitt

Monatsdurchschnitt, or monthly average, is a statistical measure that summarizes the central tendency of a variable across a calendar month. It is commonly defined as the arithmetic mean of all observations within that month. For data collected daily, the Monatsdurchschnitt is typically computed by summing the daily values and dividing by the number of days in the month (28–31). If measurements are taken at irregular intervals or multiple times per day, the total number of observations in the month is used for the division, and the sum is divided accordingly. In some contexts, a time-weighted average may be used when days have unequal lengths or when data gaps exist.

Applications of the Monatsdurchschnitt are widespread. In meteorology, it is used to express mean monthly temperature or precipitation. In energy and utilities, it describes monthly average consumption or generation. In finance, it can refer to the average price, return, or trading volume over a month. The Monatsdurchschnitt supports comparisons between months, monitoring of seasonal cycles, and the analysis of trends in time series data.

Limitations should be noted. The value is sensitive to missing data and outliers and does not reflect variability within the month. February’s varying length and leap years can affect the calculation. Depending on data quality and purpose, alternative summaries such as the median or a seasonally adjusted index may be preferred.

Related concepts include Monatsmittelwert and the broader idea of central tendency measures; other time-based averages include the Jahresdurchschnitt (yearly average).