Calculate the average of a group of numbers (2024)

Calculate the average of a group of numbers

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Let's say you want to find the average number of days to complete a tasks by different employees. Or, you want to calculate the average temperature on a particular day over a 10-year time span. There are several ways to calculate the average of a group of numbers.

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 This 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 The middle number of a group of numbers. 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.

  • ModeThe 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. In a skewed distribution of a group of numbers, they can be different.

Do the following:

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

  2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click the arrow next to Calculate the average of a group of numbers (1)AutoSum , click Average, and then press Enter.

To do this task, use the AVERAGE function. Copy the table below to a blank worksheet.

Formula

Description (Result)

=AVERAGE(A2:A7)

Averages all of numbers in list above (9.5)

=AVERAGE(A2:A4,A7)

Averages the top three and the last number in the list (7.5)

=AVERAGEIF(A2:A7, "<>0")

Averages the numbers in the list except those that contain zero, such as cell A6 (11.4)

To do this task, use the SUMPRODUCT and SUM functions. vThis example calculates the average price paid for a unit across three purchases, where each purchase is for a different number of units at a different price per unit.

Copy the table below to a blank worksheet.

1

2

3

4

A

B

Price per unit

Number of units

20

500

25

750

35

200

Formula

Description (Result)

=SUMPRODUCT(A2:A4,B2:B4)/SUM(B2:B4)

Divides the total cost of all three orders by the total number of units ordered (24.66)

To do this task, use the AVERAGE and IF functions. Copy the table below, and keep in mind that this example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

Formula

Description (Result)

=AVERAGEIF(A2:A7, "<>0")

Averages the numbers in the list except those that contain zero, such as cell A6 (11.4)

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See Also

AVERAGE

AVERAGEIF

SUM

SUMPRODUCT

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Calculate the average of a group of numbers (2024)

FAQs

Calculate the average of a group of numbers? ›

Average This 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 The middle number of a group of numbers.

How do you find the average of a group of numbers? ›

Average This 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 The middle number of a group of numbers.

How do you calculate average answers? ›

The average of a set of numbers is simply the sum of the numbers divided by the total number of values in the set. For example, suppose we want an average of 24 , 55 , 17 , 87 and 100 . Simply find the sum of the numbers: 24 + 55 + 17 + 87 + 100 = 283 and divide by 5 to get 56.6 .

What is the formula to find the average of numbers? ›

The general average formula is mathematically expressed as Average = {Sum of Observations} ÷ {Total number of Observations}.

How do you find the average of a bunch of numbers in Excel? ›

The formula is displayed in the formula bar, =AVERAGE(A2:A7) if you're using the sample data. In the Formula Bar, select the content between the parentheses, which is A2:A7 if you're using the sample data. key and click the cells that you want to average, and then press RETURN.

What are the three ways to calculate average? ›

There are three main types of average: mean, median and mode. Each of these techniques works slightly differently and often results in slightly different typical values. The mean is the most commonly used average. To get the mean value, you add up all the values and divide this total by the number of values.

What is the formula for the average of grouped data? ›

To calculate the mean of grouped data, the first step is to determine the midpoint (also called a class mark) of each interval, or class. These midpoints must then be multiplied by the frequencies of the corresponding classes. The sum of the products divided by the total number of values will be the value of the mean.

How do you calculate average easy? ›

To calculate the average of anything, all you have to do is add up all of the numbers that you are including in your calculation. Then, you divide them by how many numbers there are. Finding the mean is just the sum divided by the count.

What is the answer to the average of numbers? ›

Solution Explained:

The average formula = sum of all values/total number of values. The sum of scores: 60+70+80: 210. Total number of values: 3. Average: 210/3 = 70.

What is the formula for the average rule? ›

Average = Sum of Values/Number of Values

In this article, we are going to learn the definition of average, symbol, average formula in Maths, and steps to calculate the average, and many solved examples in detail.

How do you make an average of these numbers? ›

You can find the average by taking the following steps:
  1. Select the data set that you want to find the average for. ...
  2. Calculate the sum of the data set. ...
  3. Count the numbers in your data set. ...
  4. Divide the sum of the data set by the total count of the numbers in the data set.
Jul 21, 2022

Why do we calculate averages? ›

Averages are used to compare differing quantities of the same category. For example, to compute the per-employee salary of an organization, averages have to be used because there are differences in the salaries of several employees.

How do you find the average mean of a set of numbers? ›

To calculate the mean, you first add all the numbers together (3 + 11 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 6 = 47). Then you divide the total sum by the number of scores used (47 / 7 = 6.7). In this example, the mean or average of the number set is 6.7.

How do you average a bunch of numbers? ›

To determine an average, first add together all the numbers in the set. For example, if your set is 1, 2, 3, and 4, you would add all of those numbers together to get 10. Next, count how many numbers are in the set - in this case, 4. Divide your sum by the amount of numbers in the set.

How to compute general average? ›

The General Average Is Computed by Dividing The Sum of All Final Grades by The Total Number of Learning Areas. Each Learning Area Has Equal Weight.

What does cell B12 signify? ›

Vitamin B12 is necessary for several bodily processes, including nerve function and the production of DNA and red blood cells. A person whose vitamin B12 levels are outside of the normal range will require treatment. High B12 levels may indicate liver disease, diabetes, or certain types of leukemia.

How do you find the average number in a list? ›

The average is the sum of all the numbers in a list divided by its length.

What is the average between 50 and 100? ›

∴ The average of all natural numbers lying between 50 and 100 is 75.

How do you average a bunch of averages? ›

You want to summarize the average for the whole year, so you add up all the Monthly Averages, divide the sum by the total number of months.

What is the ordinary average of a group of numbers? ›

The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean – the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list. For example, the mean average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 (summing to 25) is 5.

References

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