Powerball is the largest lottery game in the United States by jackpot size, with a starting jackpot of $20 million and a track record of building into the hundreds of millions — and occasionally the billions — before a winner emerges. With draws three times per week and tickets sold in 45 states plus DC and the US Virgin Islands, it produces more draw data faster than any other US lottery game.
At LottoIQ we maintain a database of 1,895 Powerball draws going back to January 2013. However, Powerball underwent a significant format change in January 2016 — expanding the main ball pool from 59 to 69 numbers, which meaningfully changed which numbers can appear. This analysis focuses on the 1,791 draws since January 6, 2016, which represent the current game format. Mixing the two eras would distort every frequency count, so we separate them.
With 1,791 draws and 5 balls drawn per game from a pool of 69, the statistical expected frequency for any single number is about 130 appearances. These ten numbers have exceeded that baseline by the widest margin:
Number 27 leads the entire dataset with 189 appearances — 46% above the statistical average of 130. Number 28 is a close second at 182. What stands out about the hot list is the spread: low numbers (3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 17, 21) and mid-range numbers (27, 28, 32) both feature prominently, with nothing above 32 cracking the top ten. That pattern becomes even more striking when you look at what's cold.
The ten numbers appearing least often in the current era tell a very different story from the hot list:
Nine of the ten coldest numbers are 49 or higher — the top 30% of the 69-ball pool. The coldest of all, number 49, has appeared just 50 times against an expected 130, putting it 62% below average. Numbers 60, 65, 66, 67, and 68 are all in the low-to-mid 50s for appearances. This is not random noise across a large sample — it is a persistent, consistent bias where high numbers underperform and low-to-mid numbers dominate.
The most likely factor is player behavior, not draw mechanics. A large share of players choose numbers based on birthdays, anniversaries, and other personally meaningful dates — all of which are capped at 31. This has no effect on which balls are drawn, but it creates a well-documented skew where players concentrate on low numbers. The persistent cold performance of numbers 49–69 over 1,791 draws is larger than pure chance typically produces and is a defining characteristic of this game's data.
Beyond raw frequency, it's useful to track which numbers have gone the longest without appearing. These five main-ball numbers have the longest current absence from any draw:
Number 69 last appeared on August 31, 2024 — over 647 days ago, spanning roughly 280 draws without a single appearance. Number 59 last appeared just days later on September 4, 2024. All five of the most overdue numbers are in the 59–69 range, which also dominates the cold list. The combination of low overall frequency and long recent absence makes these the most statistically notable numbers in the current dataset — though each new draw remains independent of the last.
The red Powerball is drawn separately from a pool of 1 to 26. Matching it is required for the jackpot and multiplies prizes at every lower tier. The five most frequently drawn Powerball ball numbers in the current era, out of an expected average of 69 appearances per number:
Numbers 4 and 15 are tied at the top with 93 appearances each — about 35% above the expected average. Numbers 9 and 14 follow at 91 each. Like the main ball hot list, the hottest Powerball numbers cluster in the lower range of the 1–26 pool. If your Powerball ball picks tend toward the higher end of the range, the frequency data does not support that as a strategy.
Some main-ball number combinations have appeared together across multiple draws more often than chance alone would predict. The top co-occurring pairs in the current format:
27 + 36 · 9 + 27 · 8 + 27 · 3 + 6 · 30 + 33
Number 27 is particularly striking here: it appears in three of the five top pairs (with 36, 9, and 8). This is not just the most frequent number in the dataset — it also co-occurs with specific other numbers more often than typical. Whether this persists is unknown, but it is the most consistent combination signal in the data.
Understanding Powerball's historical data requires knowing about its October 2015 format change. Before that date, the main pool was 1–59 and the Powerball was drawn from 1–35. In January 2016 the game settled into the current 1–69 main pool and 1–26 Powerball ball.
The practical effects on analysis are significant:
Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and is available in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Players choose 5 numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball from 1 to 26. All five main numbers plus the Powerball must match to win the jackpot, with odds of 1 in 292,201,338. The jackpot starts at $20 million and escalates until won. Draws take place Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET. The optional Power Play add-on ($1 extra) multiplies all non-jackpot prizes by 2×, 3×, 4×, 5×, or 10×, with the 10× multiplier only available when the jackpot is under $150 million.
Powerball draws take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET. LottoIQ pulls official draw results and updates frequency data, trend analysis, and suggested picks automatically after each draw, so the numbers in the analyzer always reflect the latest complete dataset.
Full frequency heat map, hot and cold numbers, trend charts and data-driven picks — updated after every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday draw.
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