Most Common US Mega Millions Numbers

Updated after every draw, last draw on 30 October 2026

Which US Mega Millions numbers come up the most? Are some numbers "hot", and are others "due"? We counted every number drawn in all 940 draws since 31 October 2017, when the current numbers started. And then we checked whether any of it actually means something. Let's find out!

1. The most and least common numbers
2. The most common Mega Ball numbers
3. Hot and cold numbers
4. The most common pairs
5. Does any of this mean anything?
6. The numbers that can make a difference

The most and least common numbers

In US Mega Millions, 5 numbers are drawn from 70. So over 940 draws, each number should have come up around 67 times. Here's how they actually did.

Number 10 leads the way with 88 draws, while number 65 has only come up 53 times. That's quite a gap! But before you rush to play 10, hold that thought: we'll see why in a moment.

The most common Mega Ball numbers

The Mega Ball is drawn from a separate barrel of 24 numbers. Over 164 draws since 8 April 2025, when the barrel last changed, each should have come up around 7 times.

The most common Mega Ball is 12, drawn 13 times, and the least common is 15, with 2.

Hot and cold numbers

"Hot" numbers are the ones that have come up the most lately, and "cold" numbers are the ones that haven't been drawn for a while. Some players swear by them, either riding the hot streak or betting that a cold number is due.

Here's the thing though: the balls have no memory. A number that came up three times last month is no more likely to come up tonight, and a number that hasn't been drawn in 57 draws isn't any closer to being "due". Every draw starts from scratch.

The most common pairs

Which two numbers have come up together the most?

With 2,415 possible pairs, a few were always going to come up together more often than the rest. Just like the numbers on their own, it's chance at work.

Does any of this mean anything?

Probably not, and we can check! Even with perfectly random balls, some numbers come up more than others. Flip a coin 100 times and you'll rarely get exactly 50 heads. The real question is whether the gaps are bigger than chance alone would produce.

Statisticians answer that with a chi-square test. For the 940 draws above, it tells us that perfectly random balls would give a spread at least this uneven 62% of the time. In other words, nothing out of the ordinary: the numbers are just as random as they should be.

The same goes for the Mega Ball numbers: a spread at least this uneven would happen 46% of the time.

So the most common numbers aren't any more likely to be drawn next, and the least common ones aren't due either. Every combination has exactly the same chance. Want to put that to the test? Play your favourite numbers thousands of times in our US Mega Millions simulator, for free.

The numbers that can make a difference

If every number is just as likely to be drawn, does it matter which ones you pick? It does, a little, because of the other players. When you win, you share the prize with everyone else who picked the same numbers. Pick numbers that few other people play, and you would share less. In the US, the smaller prizes are fixed amounts, so it's only the Jackpot you would share. But that's the one that counts!

We can tell which numbers are popular from the winners: when a popular number is drawn, more tickets win. From 818 draws, here's what other US Mega Millions players pick, and avoid. We explain how this works in should you pick birthday numbers?

It won't change your odds of winning, only how much you would win. But if you're going to pick numbers anyway, it's the one thing the data says can actually help!