Mega Millions Hot and Cold Numbers (September 2026)

How often every Mega Millions number has come up since October 31, 2017, when the game last changed its set of balls — 926 draws, with the average shown beside each count.

The statistics behind that

Expected count 66.1, standard deviation 7.8. The leader sits at 2.53 standard deviations against an expected maximum of 2.38 for 70 numbers; a lead at least this large arises by chance about 55% of the time. Goodness of fit to a uniform draw: chi-square 67.5 on 69 degrees of freedom, p = 0.527. How we calculate it.

Every number at a glance

Shaded by how far above or below its average each number is — red for more often than average, blue for less. Most sit in the middle.

well below average below around average above well above · each number averages 66 draws; 68 of 70 are close to that

How far above or below average

Most and least drawn are 34 apart. For 70 numbers over 926 draws that gap normally comes out around 37, so this one is about what you would expect.

Hottest, coldest, most overdue

Longest wait

11 has not been drawn for 50 draws. Gaps that long are rarer than average for any one number, but with 70 numbers in the game a wait that long has happened about 114 times over this stretch. It does not make 11 any likelier tonight.

Full frequency table

926 draws from October 31, 2017 to September 11, 2026, the whole time this game has drawn 5 numbers from 70. Click any heading to sort.

Mega Ball numbers

Drawn from a separate machine, 1 from 24, over the 150 draws since April 8, 2025 — a shorter stretch than the main numbers, because this ball changed more recently.

The statistics behind that

Expected count 6.2, standard deviation 2.4. The leader sits at 2.76 standard deviations against an expected maximum of 1.95 for 24 numbers; a lead at least this large arises by chance about 13% of the time. Goodness of fit to a uniform draw: chi-square 24.5 on 23 degrees of freedom, p = 0.379.

well below average below around average above well above · each number averages 6 draws; 23 of 24 are close to that

Why the count starts in 2017

Mega Millions has changed how many balls it draws, and from how many, 4 times. Counting across a change mixes two different games — a ball that did not exist yet cannot be behind. So everything above covers only the stretch since October 31, 2017, when this game settled on 5 numbers from 70.

• 5/52 from May 17, 2002 to June 21, 2005 — 324 draws (not counted above)
• 5/56 from June 24, 2005 to October 18, 2013 — 869 draws (not counted above)
• 5/75 from October 22, 2013 to October 28, 2017 — 420 draws (not counted above)

How we calculate all of this.

Frequently asked questions

Do hot and cold numbers predict anything?

No. The gap between the most and least drawn number here is 34 appearances, which is about what 926 draws produce on their own. The table is worth looking at; it is not worth betting on.

Why do your frequencies differ from other sites?

Two reasons, both on our sources page. We only count draws since the game last changed its set of balls, because counting across a change mixes two different games. And we check 4 official sources against each other — one of them is missing draws the others have.

What does the shaded band on the chart mean?

It marks the normal range — where 19 out of 20 numbers land when every ball is equally likely. With 70 numbers on the chart, two or three sticking out above or below it is the usual picture rather than a sign of anything.

How far back does this Mega Millions data go?

Our full history runs to May 17, 2002 — 2,539 draws. The frequency table on this page uses the 926 draws since October 31, 2017, because that is when this pool last changed size. Browse every draw by year.