How to interpret CPU load on Linux | Linux Today

How to interpret CPU load on Linux

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
May 20, 2014

Under Linux, CPU usage is reported as a series of three decimals. The first decimal represents the average CPU load over the past minute. The second decimal is the average load over a 5 minute period. The third and final number is the average load over a 15 minute period. Using these 3 measurements you can get a sense of whether a spike was a short term occurrence or if it’s a prolonged event.

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.