MySQL MIN() and MAX() Functions

MIN() and MAX() are aggregate functions — they work across a set of rows and return a single summary value. MIN() returns the smallest value in a column, and MAX() returns the largest. They work with numbers, dates, and even text.

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Syntax

SELECT MIN(column_name) FROM table_name;
SELECT MAX(column_name) FROM table_name;

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Sample Table

All examples on this page use the following products table:

id	name	category	price	stock
1	Laptop	Electronics	55000.00	12
2	Phone	Electronics	25000.00	30
3	T-Shirt	Clothing	800.00	100
4	Headphones	Electronics	3500.00	45
5	Jeans	Clothing	2200.00	60
6	Tablet	Electronics	35000.00	18
7	Jacket	Clothing	4500.00	25

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MIN() — Find the Lowest Value

Find the cheapest product price in the table:

SELECT MIN(price) AS lowest_price FROM products;

lowest_price
800.00

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MAX() — Find the Highest Value

Find the most expensive product price:

SELECT MAX(price) AS highest_price FROM products;

highest_price
55000.00

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Using Both in One Query

You can use MIN() and MAX() together to get the full price range in one query:

SELECT
    MIN(price) AS lowest_price,
    MAX(price) AS highest_price,
    MAX(price) - MIN(price) AS price_range
FROM products;

lowest_price	highest_price	price_range
800.00	55000.00	54200.00

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MIN() and MAX() with WHERE

Narrow the calculation to a specific subset of rows using WHERE:

-- Cheapest Electronics product
SELECT MIN(price) AS min_electronics
FROM products
WHERE category = 'Electronics';
-- Returns: 3500.00

-- Most expensive Clothing item
SELECT MAX(price) AS max_clothing
FROM products
WHERE category = 'Clothing';
-- Returns: 4500.00

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MIN() and MAX() on Dates

These functions work perfectly on date columns — MIN() returns the earliest date and MAX() returns the most recent:

-- First and last order dates
SELECT
    MIN(order_date) AS first_order,
    MAX(order_date) AS latest_order
FROM orders;

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MIN() and MAX() on Text

On text columns, MIN() returns the value that comes first alphabetically and MAX() returns the last:

SELECT MIN(name) AS first_name, MAX(name) AS last_name
FROM products;
-- MIN returns: Headphones
-- MAX returns: Tablet

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MIN() and MAX() with GROUP BY

To get the min and max per group — for example, per category — combine with GROUP BY:

SELECT category, MIN(price) AS cheapest, MAX(price) AS most_expensive
FROM products
GROUP BY category;

category	cheapest	most_expensive
Electronics	3500.00	55000.00
Clothing	800.00	4500.00

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Key Points to Remember

• MIN() returns the smallest value in a column; MAX() returns the largest.
• Both functions work on numbers, dates, and text columns.
• Use an alias (AS) to give the result a meaningful column name.
• Add WHERE to limit the calculation to specific rows.
• Combine with GROUP BY to get min/max values per group.
• Both functions ignore NULL values automatically.