Excel: Calculate average - here's how

Basic mathematical functions are the heart of Excel - especially when evaluating your data you need them. This includes the calculation of mean values. The spreadsheet program already offers you a function for calculating averages.

Calculating the average in Excel is pleasantly simple.

In these two ways you can calculate averages in Excel

The average is a practical statement for many purposes and is often needed for business calculations. Thanks to Excel, you can have the calculation done automatically. For this purpose, the program provides you with a suitable function. In principle, the mean value calculation for the spreadsheet program is an easy task. Consequently, there are even two methods to have the average calculated.

• The direct input of the numbers: Type in a cell "=AVERAGE()". Alternatively, select a cell and write the formula at the top of the formula text box. In the parentheses now put all the numbers from which you want to calculate the average and separate them with a semicolon (;).
• Example: If you want to calculate the average of 7, 15 and 38, the input is "=AVERAGE(7;15;38)". The result will then appear in the selected cell.
• Pulling numbers from a specific range of cells: For large data sets, entering the numbers manually is much too time-consuming. For example, if you want to calculate the average of all numbers in the cell range B3 to B170, enter the following format:"=AVERAGE(B3:B170)". This formulation is equivalent to summing and other calculation functions within a cell range.