About the Stem and Leaf Plot Generator
Stem and Leaf Plot Generator turns a list of numbers into a stem-and-leaf plot. Each number is split into a stem, all the digits except the last, and a leaf, the last digit. The page groups the leaves by stem, sorts them and prints the plot in neat columns with a key, such as 2 | 3 means 23. You can plot whole numbers or decimals, and you can split each stem into two lines (leaves 0 to 4 and 5 to 9) when the plot is too squashed. Copy the plot into your homework or report.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Stem and Leaf Plot Generator
- 1Paste or type your numbers, separated by spaces, commas or new lines.
- 2Choose whether the leaf is the ones, tenths or hundredths digit.
- 3Turn on split stems if many values share one stem.
- 4Read the plot and the key.
- 5Copy the plot as text.
Why use a stem-and-leaf plot
A stem-and-leaf plot looks like a sideways histogram, but it keeps the actual numbers. You can see the spread of the data, where it clusters, the gaps and the outliers, and you can read off the minimum, the maximum and the median directly. It is a standard topic in school statistics and a quick first look at data.
Building one by hand
Sort the data from smallest to largest. Write the stems in a column, draw a vertical line next to them and write each value's last digit to the right of its stem. Add a key. This page does these steps and also sorts the leaves for you, which is where mistakes often happen.
- Stem: 10s digit and above
- Leaf: ones digit
- Key: 3 | 4 means 34
Reading the shape
A long tail of leaves on high stems means the data is skewed to the right, and a pile in the middle means a bell-like shape. Isolated leaves far from the others may be outliers. Compare two sets by plotting them back to back.
Related tools
Find the median and mean with the Average Calculator and the quartiles with the Quartile Calculator, and draw a Box Plot Maker diagram of the same data. The Standard Deviation Calculator measures spread.
Features
- Whole numbers and decimals
- Sorted leaves
- Split stems option
- Automatic key
- Copy as plain text
- Private: nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
What is a stem-and-leaf plot?
A way of showing data in which each value is split into a stem (the leading digits) and a leaf (the last digit), so the shape of the data is visible while every value is kept.
How do I read it?
Join the stem and the leaf. In the row 2 | 1 3 3 7, the values are 21, 23, 23 and 27. The key shows this for the first number.
What are split stems?
Each stem is used twice: the first line for leaves 0 to 4 and the second for leaves 5 to 9. It spreads out the data when many values share a stem.
How do I plot decimals?
Choose tenths as the leaf. The value 1.2 then has stem 1 and leaf 2, and the key explains that 1 | 2 means 1.2.
What about negative numbers?
They are plotted with a minus sign on the stem, with the leaf of the number's size.
Are the numbers rounded?
Yes, to the chosen leaf digit. If you plot whole numbers, a value of 12.6 becomes 13.
When is a stem-and-leaf plot better than a histogram?
For small data sets, because it shows the actual values, and when you need to find the median or mode by eye.
Is my data uploaded?
No. The plot is made in your browser.