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This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the AVERAGE function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of the arguments. For example, if the range A1:A20 contains numbers, the formula =AVERAGE(A1:A20) returns the average of those numbers.

Syntax

AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)

The AVERAGE function syntax has the following arguments:

Number1 Required. The first number, cell reference, or range for which you want the average.
Number2, … Optional. Additional numbers, cell references or ranges for which you want the average, up to a maximum of 255.

Remarks

Arguments can either be numbers or names, ranges, or cell references that contain numbers.
Logical values and text representations of numbers that you type directly into the list of arguments are not counted.
If a range or cell reference argument contains text, logical values, or empty cells, those values are ignored; however, cells with the value zero are included.
Arguments that are error values or text that cannot be translated into numbers cause errors.
If you want to include logical values and text representations of numbers in a reference as part of the calculation, use the AVERAGEA function.
If you want to calculate the average of only the values that meet certain criteria, use the AVERAGEIF function or the AVERAGEIFS function.

Note: The AVERAGE function measures central tendency, which is the location of the center of a group of numbers in a statistical distribution. The three most common measures of central tendency are:

Average, which is the arithmetic mean, and is calculated by adding a group of numbers and then dividing by the count of those numbers. For example, the average of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 30 divided by 6, which is 5.
Median, which is the middle number of a group of numbers; that is, half the numbers have values that are greater than the median, and half the numbers have values that are less than the median. For example, the median of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 4.
Mode, which is the most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers. For example, the mode of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 3.

For a symmetrical distribution of a group of numbers, these three measures of central tendency are all the same. For a skewed distribution of a group of numbers, they can be different.

Tip: When you average cells, keep in mind the difference between empty cells and those containing the value zero, especially if you have cleared the Show a zero in cells that have a zero value check box in the Excel Options dialog box in the Excel desktop application. When this option is selected, empty cells are not counted, but zero values are.

To locate the Show a zero in cells that have a zero value check box:

On the File tab, click Options, and then, in the Advanced category, look under Display options for this worksheet.

Example

Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.

Data
10	15	32
7
9
27
2
Formula	Description	Result
=AVERAGE(A2:A6)	Average of the numbers in cells A2 through A6.	11
=AVERAGE(A2:A6, 5)	Average of the numbers in cells A2 through A6 and the number 5.	10
=AVERAGE(A2:C2)	Average of the numbers in cells A2 through C2.	19

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Mathematically speaking, “average” is used by most people to mean “central tendency,” which refers to the centermost of a range of numbers. There are three common measures of central tendency: the (arithmetic) mean, the median, and the mode. Microsoft Excel has functions for all three measures, as well as the ability to determine a weighted average, which is useful for finding an average price when dealing with different quantities of items with different prices.

1
Enter the numbers you want to find the average of. To illustrate how each of the central tendency functions works, we’ll use a series of ten small numbers. (You won’t likely use actual numbers this small when you use the functions outside these examples.)
- Most of the time, you’ll enter numbers in columns, so for these examples, enter the numbers in cells A1 through A10 of the worksheet.
- The numbers to enter are 2, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 9, 16, and 19.
- Although it isn’t necessary to do this, you can find the sum of the numbers by entering the formula “=SUM(A1:A10)” in cell A11. (Don’t include the quotation marks; they’re there to set off the formula from the rest of the text.)
2
Find the average of the numbers you entered. You do this by using the AVERAGE function. You can place the function in one of three ways:
- Click on an empty cell, such as A12, then type “=AVERAGE(A1:10)” (again, without the quotation marks) directly in the cell.
- Click on an empty cell, then click on the “f_x” symbol in the function bar above the worksheet. Select “AVERAGE” from the “Select a function:” list in the Insert Function dialog and click OK. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
- Enter an equals sign (=) in the function bar to the right of the function symbol. Select the AVERAGE function from the Name box dropdown list to the left of the function symbol. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
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3
Observe the result in the cell you entered the formula in. The average, or arithmetic mean, is determined by finding the sum of the numbers in the cell range (80) and then dividing the sum by how many numbers make up the range (10), or 80 / 10 = 8.
- If you calculated the sum as suggested, you can verify this by entering “=A11/10” in any empty cell.
- The mean value is considered a good indicator of central tendency when the individual values in the sample range are fairly close together. It is not considered as good of an indicator in samples where there are a few values that differ widely from most of the other values.

1

Enter the numbers you want to find the median for. We’ll use the same range of ten numbers (2, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 9, 16, and 19) as we used in the method for finding the mean value. Enter them in the cells from A1 to A10, if you haven’t already done so.
2
Find the median value of the numbers you entered. You do this by using the MEDIAN function. As with the AVERAGE function, you can enter it one of three ways:
- Click on an empty cell, such as A13, then type “=MEDIAN(A1:10)” (again, without the quotation marks) directly in the cell.
- Click on an empty cell, then click on the “f_x” symbol in the function bar above the worksheet. Select “MEDIAN” from the “Select a function:” list in the Insert Function dialog and click OK. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
- Enter an equals sign (=) in the function bar to the right of the function symbol. Select the MEDIAN function from the Name box dropdown list to the left of the function symbol. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
3

Observe the result in the cell you entered the function in. The median is the point where half the numbers in the sample have values higher than the median value and the other half have values lower than the median value. (In the case of our sample range, the median value is 7.) The median may be the same as one of the values in the sample range, or it may not.

1

Enter the numbers you want to find the mode for. We’ll use the same range of numbers (2, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 9, 16, and 19) again, entered in cells from A1 through A10.
2
Find the mode value for the numbers you entered. Excel has different mode functions available, depending on which version of Excel you have.
- For Excel 2007 and earlier, there is a single MODE function. This function will find a single mode in a sample range of numbers.
- For Excel 2010 and later, you can use either the MODE function, which works the same as in earlier versions of Excel, or the MODE.SNGL function, which uses a supposedly more accurate algorithm to find the mode.^[1] (Another mode function, MODE.MULT returns multiple values if it finds multiple modes in a sample, but it is intended for use with arrays of numbers instead of a single list of values.^[2])
3
Enter the mode function you’ve chosen. As with the AVERAGE and MEDIAN functions, there are three ways to do this:
- Click on an empty cell, such as A14 then type “=MODE(A1:10)” (again, without the quotation marks) directly in the cell. (If you wish to use the MODE.SNGL function, type “MODE.SNGL” in place of “MODE” in the equation.)
- Click on an empty cell, then click on the “f_x” symbol in the function bar above the worksheet. Select “MODE” or “MODE.SNGL,” from the “Select a function:” list in the Insert Function dialog and click OK. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
- Enter an equals sign (=) in the function bar to the right of the function symbol. Select the MODE or MODE.SNGL function from the Name box dropdown list to the left of the function symbol. Enter the range “A1:A10” in the Number 1 field of the Function Arguments dialog and click OK.
4
Observe the result in the cell you entered the function in. The mode is the value that occurs most often in the sample range. In the case of our sample range, the mode is 7, as 7 occurs three times in the list.
- If two numbers appear in the list the same number of times, the MODE or MODE.SNGL function will report the value that it encounters first. If you change the “3” in the sample list to a “5,” the mode will change from 7 to 5, because the 5 is encountered first. If, however, you change the list to have three 7s before three 5s, the mode will again be 7.

1
Enter the data you want to calculate a weighted average for. Unlike finding a single average, where we used a one-column list of numbers, to find a weighted average we need two sets of numbers. For the purpose of this example, we’ll assume the items are shipments of tonic, dealing with a number of cases and the price per case.
- For this example, we’ll include column labels. Enter the label “Price Per Case” in cell A1 and “Number of Cases” in cell B1.
- The first shipment was for 10 cases at $20 per case. Enter “$20” in cell A2 and “10” in cell B2.
- Demand for tonic increased, so the second shipment was for 40 cases. However, due to demand, the price of tonic went up to $30 per case. Enter “$30” in cell A3 and “40” in cell B3.
- Because the price went up, demand for tonic went down, so the third shipment was for only 20 cases. With the lower demand, the price per case went down to $25. Enter “$25” in cell A4 and “20” in cell B4.
2
Enter the formula you need to calculate the weighted average. Unlike figuring a single average, Excel doesn’t have a single function to figure a weighted average. Instead you’ll use two functions:
- SUMPRODUCT. The SUMPRODUCT function multiplies the numbers in each row together and adds them to the product of the numbers in each of the other rows. You specify the range of each column; since the values are in cells A2 to A4 and B2 to B4, you’d write this as “=SUMPRODUCT(A2:A4,B2:B4)”. The result is the total dollar value of all three shipments.
- SUM. The SUM function adds the numbers in a single row or column. Because we want to find an average for the price of a case of tonic, we’ll sum up the number of cases that were sold in all three shipments. If you wrote this part of the formula separately, it would read “=SUM(B2:B4)”.
3

Since an average is determined by dividing a sum of all numbers by the number of numbers, we can combine the two functions into a single formula, written as “=SUMPRODUCT(A2:A4,B2:B4)/ SUM(B2:B4)”.
4
Observe the result in the cell you entered the formula in. The average per-case price is the total value of the shipment divided by the total number of cases that were sold.
- The total value of the shipments is 20 x 10 + 30 x 40 + 25 x 20, or 200 + 1200 + 500, or $1900.
- The total number of cases sold is 10 + 40 + 20, or 70.
- The average per case price is 1900 / 70 = $27.14.

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wikiHow Video: How to Calculate Averages in Excel

You do not have to enter all the numbers in a continuous column or row, but you do have to make sure Excel understands which numbers you want to include and exclude. If you only wanted to average the first five numbers in our examples on mean, median, and mode and the last number, you’d enter the formula as “=AVERAGE(A1:A5,A10)”.

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References

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Article SummaryX

To calculate averages in Excel, start by clicking on an empty cell. Then, type =AVERAGE followed by the range of cells you want to find the average of in parenthesis, like =AVERAGE(A1:A10). This will calculate the average of all of the numbers in that range of cells. It’s as easy as that! For step-by-step instructions with pictures, check out the full article below!

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AVERAGE function
Description
Syntax
Remarks
Example
Average a group of numbers
Want more?
AVERAGEIF function
Description
Syntax
Remarks
Examples
AVERAGEIFS function
Description
Syntax
Remarks
Examples
How to Calculate Averages in Excel (7 Simple Ways)
Join the Excel conversation on Slack
How to calculate averages in Excel
AVERAGE
Syntax
Remarks
AVERAGEA
AVERAGEIF
AVERAGEIF example 1
AVERAGEIF example 2
MEDIAN
MODE.MULT
MODE.SNGL
Creative uses of the AVERAGE function
Top 3
Bottom 3
Learn more Excel formulas and functions

AVERAGE function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the AVERAGE function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of the arguments. For example, if the range A1:A20 contains numbers, the formula = AVERAGE( A1:A20) returns the average of those numbers.

Syntax

The AVERAGE function syntax has the following arguments:

Number1 Required. The first number, cell reference, or range for which you want the average.

Number2, . Optional. Additional numbers, cell references or ranges for which you want the average, up to a maximum of 255.

Arguments can either be numbers or names, ranges, or cell references that contain numbers.

Logical values and text representations of numbers that you type directly into the list of arguments are not counted.

If a range or cell reference argument contains text, logical values, or empty cells, those values are ignored; however, cells with the value zero are included.

Arguments that are error values or text that cannot be translated into numbers cause errors.

If you want to include logical values and text representations of numbers in a reference as part of the calculation, use the AVERAGEA function.

If you want to calculate the average of only the values that meet certain criteria, use the AVERAGEIF function or the AVERAGEIFS function.

Note: The AVERAGE function measures central tendency, which is the location of the center of a group of numbers in a statistical distribution. The three most common measures of central tendency are:

Average, which is the arithmetic mean, and is calculated by adding a group of numbers and then dividing by the count of those numbers. For example, the average of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 30 divided by 6, which is 5.

Median, which is the middle number of a group of numbers; that is, half the numbers have values that are greater than the median, and half the numbers have values that are less than the median. For example, the median of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 4.

Mode, which is the most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers. For example, the mode of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 3.

For a symmetrical distribution of a group of numbers, these three measures of central tendency are all the same. For a skewed distribution of a group of numbers, they can be different.

Tip: When you average cells, keep in mind the difference between empty cells and those containing the value zero, especially if you have cleared the Show a zero in cells that have a zero value check box in the Excel Options dialog box in the Excel desktop application. When this option is selected, empty cells are not counted, but zero values are.

To locate the Show a zero in cells that have a zero value check box:

On the File tab, click Options, and then, in the Advanced category, look under Display options for this worksheet.

Example

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Average a group of numbers

You may have used AutoSum to quickly add numbers in Excel. But did you know you can also use it to calculate other results, such as averages?

Use AutoSum to quickly find the average

AutoSum lets you find the average in a column or row of numbers where there are no blank cells.

Click a cell below the column or to the right of the row of the numbers for which you want to find the average.

On the HOME tab, click the arrow next to AutoSum > Average, and then press Enter.

Want more?

You may have used AutoSum to quickly add numbers in Excel.

But did you know you can also use it to calculate other results, such as averages?

Click the cell to the right of a row or below a column. Then, on the HOME tab, click the AutoSum down arrow, click Average, verify the formula if what you want, and press Enter.

When I double-click inside the cell, I see it is a formula with the AVERAGE function.

The formula is AVERAGE, A2, colon, A5, which averages the cells from A2 through A5.

When averaging a few cells, the AVERAGE function saves your time. With larger ranges of cells, it’s essential.

If I try to use the AutoSum, Average option here, it only uses cell C5, not the entire column.

Why? Because C4 is blank.

If C4 contained a number, C2 through C5 would be an adjacent range of cells that AutoSum would recognize.

To average values in cells and ranges of cells that aren’t adjacent, type an equals sign (a formula always starts with an equals sign), AVERAGE, open parenthesis, hold down the Ctrl key, click the desired cells and ranges of cells, and press Enter.

The formula uses the AVERAGE function to average the cells containing numbers and ignores the empty cells or those containing text.

For more information about the AVERAGE function, see the course summary at the end of the course.

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AVERAGEIF function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the AVERAGEIF function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all the cells in a range that meet a given criteria.

Syntax

AVERAGEIF(range, criteria, [average_range])

The AVERAGEIF function syntax has the following arguments:

Range Required. One or more cells to average, including numbers or names, arrays, or references that contain numbers.

Criteria Required. The criteria in the form of a number, expression, cell reference, or text that defines which cells are averaged. For example, criteria can be expressed as 32, «32», «>32», «apples», or B4.

Average_range Optional. The actual set of cells to average. If omitted, range is used.

Cells in range that contain TRUE or FALSE are ignored.

If a cell in average_range is an empty cell, AVERAGEIF ignores it.

If range is a blank or text value, AVERAGEIF returns the #DIV0! error value.

If a cell in criteria is empty, AVERAGEIF treats it as a 0 value.

If no cells in the range meet the criteria, AVERAGEIF returns the #DIV/0! error value.

You can use the wildcard characters, question mark (?) and asterisk (*), in criteria. A question mark matches any single character; an asterisk matches any sequence of characters. If you want to find an actual question mark or asterisk, type a tilde (

) before the character.

Average_range does not have to be the same size and shape as range. The actual cells that are averaged are determined by using the top, left cell in average_range as the beginning cell, and then including cells that correspond in size and shape to range. For example:

And average_range is

Then the actual cells evaluated are

Note: The AVERAGEIF function measures central tendency, which is the location of the center of a group of numbers in a statistical distribution. The three most common measures of central tendency are:

Average which is the arithmetic mean, and is calculated by adding a group of numbers and then dividing by the count of those numbers. For example, the average of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 30 divided by 6, which is 5.

Median which is the middle number of a group of numbers; that is, half the numbers have values that are greater than the median, and half the numbers have values that are less than the median. For example, the median of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 4.

Mode which is the most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers. For example, the mode of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 3.

For a symmetrical distribution of a group of numbers, these three measures of central tendency are all the same. For a skewed distribution of a group of numbers, they can be different.

Examples

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AVERAGEIFS function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the AVERAGEIFS function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all cells that meet multiple criteria.

Syntax

AVERAGEIFS(average_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], . )

The AVERAGEIFS function syntax has the following arguments:

Average_range Required. One or more cells to average, including numbers or names, arrays, or references that contain numbers.

Criteria_range1, criteria_range2, … Criteria_range1 is required, subsequent criteria_ranges are optional. 1 to 127 ranges in which to evaluate the associated criteria.

Criteria1, criteria2, . Criteria1 is required, subsequent criteria are optional. 1 to 127 criteria in the form of a number, expression, cell reference, or text that define which cells will be averaged. For example, criteria can be expressed as 32, «32», «>32», «apples», or B4.

If average_range is a blank or text value, AVERAGEIFS returns the #DIV0! error value.

If a cell in a criteria range is empty, AVERAGEIFS treats it as a 0 value.

Cells in range that contain TRUE evaluate as 1; cells in range that contain FALSE evaluate as 0 (zero).

Each cell in average_range is used in the average calculation only if all of the corresponding criteria specified are true for that cell.

Unlike the range and criteria arguments in the AVERAGEIF function, in AVERAGEIFS each criteria_range must be the same size and shape as sum_range.

If cells in average_range cannot be translated into numbers, AVERAGEIFS returns the #DIV0! error value.

If there are no cells that meet all the criteria, AVERAGEIFS returns the #DIV/0! error value.

) before the character.

Note: The AVERAGEIFS function measures central tendency, which is the location of the center of a group of numbers in a statistical distribution. The three most common measures of central tendency are:

Mode which is the most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers. For example, the mode of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 3.

For a symmetrical distribution of a group of numbers, these three measures of central tendency are all the same. For a skewed distribution of a group of numbers, they can be different.

Examples

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How to Calculate Averages in Excel (7 Simple Ways)

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How to calculate averages in Excel

Believe it or not, there are many different kinds of averages, and different ways to go about calculating them. The following methods are covered in this resource:

AVERAGE

The most universally accepted average is the arithmetic mean, and Excel uses the AVERAGE function to find it. The Excel AVERAGE function is used to generate a number that represents a typical value from a range, distribution, or list of numbers. It is calculated by adding all the numbers in the list, then dividing the total by the number of values within the list.

Download your free average in Excel practice file!

Use this free average in Excel file to practice along with the tutorial.

Syntax

The AVERAGE function in Excel is straightforward. The syntax is:

Ranges or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

The AVERAGE function can handle up to 255 arguments, each of which may be a value, cell reference, or range. Only one argument is required, but of course, if you’re using the AVERAGE function, it’s likely you have at least two.

The formula below will calculate the average of the numbers 100, 95, and 80.

To calculate the average of values in cells B2, B3, B4, and B5 enter:

This can be typed directly into the cell or formula bar, or selected on the worksheet by selecting the first cell in the range, and dragging the mouse to the last cell in the range.

In order to calculate the average of non-contiguous (non-adjacent) cells, simply hold the Control key (or Command key — Mac users) while making the selections.

If typing the cell references directly into the cell or formula bar, non-contiguous references are separated by commas. For example:

When using the AVERAGE function, bear the following in mind.

Text values and empty cells are ignored.

The word “Sick” in cell B6 (below) causes the AVERAGE function to ignore that cell altogether. This means that the average score in cell I6 was computed using the values in the range C8 to H8, and the total was divided by 6 subjects instead of 7.

When determining the number of values to divide the total by, zeros are considered valid amounts and will therefore reduce the overall average of the distribution. Notice that Student J’s average is quite different from Student E’s average, even though their grade totals were similar.

AVERAGEA

In order to eliminate this discrepancy, the AVERAGEA function may be used to include all values within a distribution, including text. The format is similar:

A range or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

AVERAGEA evaluates text values as zero, while the logical value TRUE is evaluated as 1. The logical value FALSE is considered a zero.

Compare the difference in results between using AVERAGE and AVERAGEA in the example below.

The averages for Student E and Student J are now similar when using the AVERAGEA function.

AVERAGEIF

There are ways to find the average of only the numbers that satisfy certain criteria. With the AVERAGEIF function, Excel looks within the specified range for a stated condition, and then finds the arithmetic mean of the cells that meet that condition.

The syntax of the AVERAGEIF function is:

The range is the location where we can expect to find cells that meet the criteria.
The criteria are the value or expression that Excel should look for within the range.
Average_range is an optional argument. This is the range of cells where the values to be averaged are located. If the average_range is omitted, the range is used.

AVERAGEIF example 1

For example, from this list of various fruit prices, we can ask Excel to extract only the cells that say “apples” in column A, and find their average price from column B.

AVERAGEIF example 2

The criteria in an AVERAGEIF function may also be in the form of a logical expression, as in the example below:

The above formula will find the average of the values in the range B4 to H4 that are not equal to zero. Note that the third (optional) argument is omitted, therefore the cells in the range are used to calculate the average.

Since cells that are evaluated as zeros are omitted due to our criteria, notice the difference in Student E and J’s results below when using the AVERAGEIF function.

In order to find the average of cells that satisfy multiple criteria, use the AVERAGEIFS function.

The arithmetic mean may be the most commonly-used method of finding the average, but it is by no means the only one. One outcome of using the arithmetic mean is that it allows very high or very low numbers to sway the outcome, thereby significantly altering the results.

Take for example, the following list of numbers:

22, 1, 14, 21, 15, 16, 18, 100, 19, 19, 22, 25, 18

Finding the arithmetic mean would give a result of 23.8.

However, looking closely at the distribution of the numbers on the list, we would hardly say that 23.8 is the average value of those numbers. The problem, of course, is that the number 100 is an outlier and increased the sum of the numbers.

Therefore, in some situations, it is more desirable to use the MEDIAN function. This function determines the numerical order of the values being evaluated and uses the one in the middle as the average.

A range or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

In the above example, the numerical order would be:

1, 14, 15, 16, 18, 18, 19, 19, 21, 22, 22, 25, 100

There are 13 numbers in the distribution, making the seventh number the middle value. Therefore, the median would be 19.

If the number of values is an even number, the median would be determined by finding the average of the two numbers in the middle of the distribution. So, for the values 7,9,9,11,14,15 the median would be (9+11)/2=10.

The MEDIAN function ignores cells that contain text, logical values, or no value.

A third method for determining the average of a set of numbers is finding the mode, or the number that is repeated most often.

There are currently three “mode” functions within Excel. The classic, MODE, follows the syntax of:

In this function, Excel evaluates the values within the list or range, and selects the most frequently occurring number as the average value of the group.

However, there are occasions when more than one number could be considered the mode. For example, consider the following list:

1, 14, 15, 16, 18, 18, 19, 19, 21, 22, 22, 25, 100

The numbers 18, 19, and 22 each appear two times. Which one is the mode? Microsoft chooses the first-appearing value as the mode — in the above case, 18.

If these same numbers were arranged in the reverse order, then 22 would be considered the mode.

If the numbers were arranged in a random order, then Excel would select from 18, 19, and 22 based on whichever number appeared in the distribution first.

For example, in the list:

19, 22, 1, 14, 21, 15, 16, 18, 100, 19, 22, 25, 18

The MODE function considers 19 as the mode.

MODE.MULT

The MODE.MULT function is a solution to the discrepancies experienced in the above scenario. It allows us to anticipate and account for the possibility that there may be more than one mode within a group of numbers.

Since MODE.MULT is an array (CSE) function, these are the steps when using this function:

Select a vertical range for the output
Enter the MODE.MULT formula
Simultaneously select Control + Shift + Enter

Pressing Control + Shift + Enter (CSE) together will cause Excel to automatically place braces (curly brackets) around the formula, and will return a “spill” of results equal to the number of cells selected in Step 1. If there is more than one mode, they will be displayed vertically in the output cells. The MODE.MULT function will return the “#N/A” error if:

there are no duplicate values, or
there are no additional modes in the output range.

MODE.SNGL

Like the MODE.MULT function, the MODE.SNGL function was rolled out with Excel 2010. The syntax is:

The MODE.SNGL function behaves like the classic MODE function in determining the output.

Creative uses of the AVERAGE function

Top 3

We can combine the AVERAGE function with the LARGE function to determine the average of the top “n” number of values.

The LARGE function extracts the n t h largest number from a range, using the format

where k is the n t h number.

Using this format, we can display a number in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, or any rank.

In order to get the average of the three largest numbers in a range, we would nest the AVERAGE and LARGE functions as follows:

When we type braces around the k argument, Excel identifies the first, second, and third largest numbers in the array, and the AVERAGE function finds their average.

Bottom 3

We can use a similar logic to find the bottom 3 of a group of numbers using the SMALL function.

The following format will find the average of the three smallest numbers in the array.

The three main methods of finding the average within Excel are the AVERAGE (mean), MEDIAN (middle), and MODE (frequency) functions. They are all easy to use, so choose the one that’s right for your type of data and the questions you want to answer.

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AVERAGE and AVERAGEA functions are used to calculate the arithmetic average of the arguments of interest in Excel. The average is calculated in the classical way — summing all the numbers and dividing the sum by the number of these numbers. The main difference between these functions is that they process differently non-numeric types of values that are in Excel cells. More about everything in more detail.

Examples of using the AVERAGE function in Excel

AVERAGE function refers to the Statistical group. Therefore, to call this function in Excel, you must select the tool: “FORMULAS” — “Functions Library” — “More functions” — “Statistical” — “AVERAGE”. Or call the «Insert Function» dialog box (SHIFT + F3) and select the «Statistical» option from the «Category:» drop-down list. After that, in the “Select function:” field there will be a list of categories with statistical functions where the AVERAGE is located, as well as AVERAGEA.

If there is a range of B2:B8 cells with numbers, then the formula =AVERAGE(B2:B8) will return the average value of the given numbers in this range:

The syntax is the following: =AVERAGE(number1,[number2],…), where the first number is a required argument, and all subsequent arguments (up to the number 255) are optional for filled. That is, the number of selected source ranges cannot exceed more than 255:

syntax.

The argument can have a numeric value, be a reference to a range or array. Text and logical values in the range are completely ignored.

The arguments of the AVERAGE function can be represented not only by numbers, but also by names or references to a specific range (cell) containing a number. The logical value and textual representation of the number, which is directly entered into the argument list, is taken into account.

If the argument is represented by a reference to a range (cell), then its text or logical value (reference to an empty cell) is ignored. In this case, cells that contain zero are counted. If the argument contains errors or text that cannot be converted to a number, then this results in a common error. To take into account logical values and the textual representation of numbers, it is necessary to use in the calculations the AVERAGEA function, which will be discussed further.

test.

The result of the function in the example in the picture below is the number 4, since logical and text objects are ignored. Therefore:

(5 + 7 + 0 + 4) / 4 = 4

When calculating averages, you need to take into account the difference between a blank cell and a cell containing a zero value, especially if the «Show a zero in cells that have zero values» option is cleared in the Excel dialog box. When checked, empty cells are ignored, but zero values are not. To remove or set this flag, open the “FILE” tab, then click on “Options” and select in the category “Advanced” group “Display options for this worksheet:”, where it is possible to check the box:

The results of another 4 tasks are summarized in the table below:

As you can see in the example, in cell A9, the AVERAGE function has 2 arguments: 1 — a range of cells, 2 — an additional number 5. The same can be specified in the arguments and additional ranges of cells with numbers. For example, as in cell A11.

Formulas with examples of using the AVERAGEA function

AVERAGEA function differs from AVERAGE in that the true logical value of “TRUE” in the range is equal to 1, and the false logical value of “FALSE” or the text value in the cells is equal to zero. Therefore, the result of calculating the AVERAGEA function is different:

The result of the function returns the number in the example 2,833333, since the text and logical values are taken as zero, and the logical TRUE is equal to one. Consequently:

(5 + 7 + 0 + 0 + 4 + 1) / 6 = 2.83

Syntax:

=AVERAGEA(value1,[value2],…)

The arguments of the AVERAGEA function are subject to the following properties:

«Value1» is mandatory, and «value2» and all values that follow it are optional. The total number of cell ranges or their values can be from 1 to 255 cells.
The argument can be a number, a name, an array, or a reference containing a number, as well as a textual representation of the number or a logical value, for example, “true” or “false”.
The logical value and textual representation of the number entered in the argument list is taken into account.
An argument containing the value “true” is interpreted as 1. An argument containing the value “false” is interpreted as 0 (zero).
Text contained in arrays and references is interpreted as 0 (zero). An empty text («») is also interpreted as 0 (zero).
If the argument is an array or reference, then only the values included in this array or reference are used. Empty cells and text in the array and reference are ignored.
Arguments that are error values or text that cannot be converted to numbers cause errors.

The results of the feature of AVERAGEA are summarized in the table below:

Download examples with functions AVERAGE for Excel

Attention! When calculating the mean values in Excel, you need to take into account the differences between a blank cell and a cell containing a zero value (especially if the “Show a zero in cells that have zero values” in “Option” is unchecked in the options dialog box). When checked, empty cells are not counted, and zero values are counted. To check the box on the “FILE” tab, select the “Option” command, go to the “Advanced” category, where find the section “Show options for the next sheet” and set the flag there.

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How to calculate averages in Excel

Believe it or not, there are many different kinds of averages, and different ways to go about calculating them. The following methods are covered in this resource:

AVERAGE
AVERAGEA
AVERAGEIF
MEDIAN
MODE
Bonus: Nesting AVERAGE, LARGE and SMALL functions

AVERAGE

Download your free average in Excel practice file!

Use this free average in Excel file to practice along with the tutorial.

Syntax

The AVERAGE function in Excel is straightforward. The syntax is:

=AVERAGE(number1, [number2],...)

Ranges or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

The formula below will calculate the average of the numbers 100, 95, and 80.

=AVERAGE(100,95,80)

To calculate the average of values in cells B2, B3, B4, and B5 enter:

=AVERAGE(B2:B5)

This can be typed directly into the cell or formula bar, or selected on the worksheet by selecting the first cell in the range, and dragging the mouse to the last cell in the range.

In order to calculate the average of non-contiguous (non-adjacent) cells, simply hold the Control key (or Command key — Mac users) while making the selections.

If typing the cell references directly into the cell or formula bar, non-contiguous references are separated by commas. For example:

=AVERAGE(B2:B5,B8)

Remarks

When using the AVERAGE function, bear the following in mind.

Text values and empty cells are ignored.

Zero values are included.

AVERAGEA

In order to eliminate this discrepancy, the AVERAGEA function may be used to include all values within a distribution, including text. The format is similar:

=AVERAGEA(value1, [value2],...)

A range or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

AVERAGEA evaluates text values as zero, while the logical value TRUE is evaluated as 1. The logical value FALSE is considered a zero.

Compare the difference in results between using AVERAGE and AVERAGEA in the example below.

The averages for Student E and Student J are now similar when using the AVERAGEA function.

Check out the Microsoft Excel Basic & Advanced course

AVERAGEIF

The syntax of the AVERAGEIF function is:

=AVERAGEIF(range,criteria,[average_range])

The range is the location where we can expect to find cells that meet the criteria.
The criteria are the value or expression that Excel should look for within the range.
Average_range is an optional argument. This is the range of cells where the values to be averaged are located. If the average_range is omitted, the range is used.

AVERAGEIF example 1

For example, from this list of various fruit prices, we can ask Excel to extract only the cells that say “apples” in column A, and find their average price from column B.

AVERAGEIF example 2

The criteria in an AVERAGEIF function may also be in the form of a logical expression, as in the example below:

=AVERAGEIF(B4:H4,"<>0")

Since cells that are evaluated as zeros are omitted due to our criteria, notice the difference in Student E and J’s results below when using the AVERAGEIF function.

In order to find the average of cells that satisfy multiple criteria, use the AVERAGEIFS function.

Take for example, the following list of numbers:

22, 1, 14, 21, 15, 16, 18, 100, 19, 19, 22, 25, 18

Finding the arithmetic mean would give a result of 23.8.

The syntax is:

=MEDIAN(number1, [number2], …)

A range or cell references may be used instead of explicit values.

In the above example, the numerical order would be:

1, 14, 15, 16, 18, 18, 19, 19, 21, 22, 22, 25, 100

There are 13 numbers in the distribution, making the seventh number the middle value. Therefore, the median would be 19.

The MEDIAN function ignores cells that contain text, logical values, or no value.

MODE

A third method for determining the average of a set of numbers is finding the mode, or the number that is repeated most often.

There are currently three “mode” functions within Excel. The classic, MODE, follows the syntax of:

=MODE(number1, [number2],...)

In this function, Excel evaluates the values within the list or range, and selects the most frequently occurring number as the average value of the group.

However, there are occasions when more than one number could be considered the mode. For example, consider the following list:

1, 14, 15, 16, 18, 18, 19, 19, 21, 22, 22, 25, 100

The numbers 18, 19, and 22 each appear two times. Which one is the mode? Microsoft chooses the first-appearing value as the mode — in the above case, 18.

If these same numbers were arranged in the reverse order, then 22 would be considered the mode.

If the numbers were arranged in a random order, then Excel would select from 18, 19, and 22 based on whichever number appeared in the distribution first.

For example, in the list:

19, 22, 1, 14, 21, 15, 16, 18, 100, 19, 22, 25, 18

The MODE function considers 19 as the mode.

MODE.MULT

The syntax is:

=MODE.MULT(number1, [number2],...)

Since MODE.MULT is an array (CSE) function, these are the steps when using this function:

Select a vertical range for the output
Enter the MODE.MULT formula
Simultaneously select Control + Shift + Enter

there are no duplicate values, or
there are no additional modes in the output range.

MODE.SNGL

Like the MODE.MULT function, the MODE.SNGL function was rolled out with Excel 2010. The syntax is:

=MODE.SNGL(number1, [number2],...]

The MODE.SNGL function behaves like the classic MODE function in determining the output.

Creative uses of the AVERAGE function

Top 3

We can combine the AVERAGE function with the LARGE function to determine the average of the top “n” number of values.

The LARGE function extracts the n^t^h largest number from a range, using the format

=LARGE(array, k)

where k is the n^t^hnumber.

Using this format, we can display a number in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, or any rank.

In order to get the average of the three largest numbers in a range, we would nest the AVERAGE and LARGE functions as follows:

=AVERAGE(LARGE(array, {1,2,3}))

When we type braces around the k argument, Excel identifies the first, second, and third largest numbers in the array, and the AVERAGE function finds their average.

Bottom 3

We can use a similar logic to find the bottom 3 of a group of numbers using the SMALL function.

The following format will find the average of the three smallest numbers in the array.

=AVERAGE(SMALL(array, {1,2,3}))

Learn more Excel formulas and functions

To learn more useful formulas, functions, and real-world Excel skills, try the GoSkills Basic and Advanced Excel course today.

Ready to become a certified Excel ninja?

Start learning for free with GoSkills courses

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