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AVERAGE Function

The AVERAGE function returns the average (arithmetic mean) of numeric arguments. It takes one or more numbers, cell references, or ranges as arguments. Text and logical values are ignored, while empty cells and cells with zero are treated differently depending on the Excel options. The AVERAGE function measures central tendency by adding the values and dividing by the count, providing the most common measure of central tendency, which is the average.

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69 views

AVERAGE Function

The AVERAGE function returns the average (arithmetic mean) of numeric arguments. It takes one or more numbers, cell references, or ranges as arguments. Text and logical values are ignored, while empty cells and cells with zero are treated differently depending on the Excel options. The AVERAGE function measures central tendency by adding the values and dividing by the count, providing the most common measure of central tendency, which is the average.

Uploaded by

Alej Gpz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AVERAGE function

Applies To: Excel 2016 , Excel 2013 , Excel 2010 , Excel 2007 , Excel 2016 for Mac ,
More...
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 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
7
9
27
2
Formula
=AVERAGE(A2:A6)
=AVERAGE(A2:A6,
5)
=AVERAGE(A2:C2)

15

32

Description
Average of the numbers in cells A2 through A6.
Average of the numbers in cells A2 through A6 and the
number 5.
Average of the numbers in cells A2 through C2.

Result
11
10
19

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