Glossary
CPU load average
The average number of threads running or waiting to run, over the last 1, 5 and 15 minutes.
What it is
Load average counts work waiting for the CPU, not percentage used. A load of 4 on a Mac with 10 cores means there was, on average, enough work for 4 cores.
The three numbers show the trend: if the 1-minute figure is much higher than the 15-minute one, load is rising.
Why it matters
A load that stays above the number of cores means work is queueing, and apps will feel sluggish even if no single process looks busy.
In Activity Monitor
Not shown. The CPU tab shows usage split into System, User and Idle, and a CPU Load graph.
In iKnowMyMac
The CPU tab header shows load average for 1, 5 and 15 minutes next to total CPU and the performance and efficiency core counts.
sysctl -n vm.loadavgPrints the 1, 5 and 15-minute load averages. uptime shows them too.
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