Our Powerball statistics show which numbers have come up most and least often in recent drawings. They're fun to look at and useful for understanding the game, but they can't tell you what comes next. Here's how to read them: what to expect, what the figures mean and the mistakes to avoid.
What to expect: about 7% and 4%
Five white balls are drawn from 69, so each white number has a 5 in 69 chance, about 7.2%, of coming up in any drawing. The Powerball is one ball from 26, so each red number has a 1 in 26 chance, about 3.8%.
Over a year of drawings, 156 of them, that means each white number would be drawn about 11 times on average and each Powerball number about 6 times. Real results always scatter around those averages: some numbers will come up 18 times, others 5.
What the figures on our statistics page mean
- Draws analyzed: how many drawings are in the period you've chosen.
- Times drawn: how many of those drawings each number appeared in.
- Frequency: the same figure as a percentage of the drawings analyzed. Compare it with the 7.2% you'd expect for a white ball.
- Hot numbers: the ones drawn most often in the period.
- Cold numbers: the ones drawn least often, or not at all.
- Number ranges: how the numbers drawn are spread across groups, such as low and high numbers.
You can switch the period, from the last 15 days to the last year. The page also shows the odds of each prize tier and the biggest jackpot in the period.
Why the period changes everything
In 15 days there are only about six drawings. With so few, it's perfectly normal for a number to come up three times and for dozens of others not to come up at all. That doesn't make the first one “hot” in any meaningful sense: it's what chance looks like over a small sample.
The longer the period, the closer every number gets to its expected frequency. That's why a year of drawings tells you more about the balls than two weeks, and why neither tells you anything about the next drawing.
Hot and cold numbers don't predict anything
The balls have no memory. A number that has come up four times in a month is no more likely to come up tonight, and a number that hasn't come up in months isn't “due”. Believing otherwise is known as the gambler's fallacy.
Every drawing starts from scratch, with every combination equally likely: 1 in 292,201,338. Stats describe what has happened; they don't change the odds. Those are explained in Powerball odds.
Only compare drawings in the same format
Powerball has used its current format, 5 numbers from 69 and a Powerball from 26, since October 2015. Before that, white balls 60 to 69 didn't exist and Powerballs went up to 35 or more. Frequency tables that mix all drawings since 1992 compare different games and give misleading results for those numbers. The history of the format is in Powerball changes over the years.
Our statistics only use recent drawings, all under the current rules.
How the Predictor uses the statistics
The Predictor builds lines from up to 200 recent drawings. With “Hot numbers” it gives more weight to the numbers drawn most often; with “Cold numbers”, to the ones that haven't come up in a while; with “Quick Pick”, every number has the same chance, just like in the real drawing. You can also ask for a balanced mix of odd and even, low and high numbers, and lock the numbers you want to keep.
Whichever you choose, the result has the same odds as any other line. The Predictor is a quick way to get numbers, not a way to beat the drawing.
What statistics are good for
- Following the game: seeing how recent drawings have gone, number by number.
- Checking that it's random: over long periods, every number drifts toward its expected frequency.
- Choosing numbers in a way you enjoy, knowing it doesn't change your odds.
- Spotting popular patterns to avoid, so a win is less likely to be shared.
Frequently asked questions
What are hot and cold Powerball numbers?
Hot numbers are the ones drawn most often in a given period; cold numbers are the ones drawn least often. They describe the past and don't make any number more or less likely in the next drawing.
How often should each Powerball number come up?
Each white ball has about a 7.2% chance of being drawn in any drawing (5 in 69), and each Powerball about 3.8% (1 in 26). Over 156 drawings, that's roughly 11 and 6 times.
Is a number that hasn't been drawn for a while due to come up?
No. Each drawing is independent, so a number's past doesn't affect its chances. Thinking otherwise is the gambler's fallacy.
Can statistics help me win Powerball?
They can't change your odds, which are the same for every combination. They're useful for following the game and for avoiding the popular patterns that make a jackpot more likely to be shared.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.