How to Average a Column in Excel (7 Easy Methods)

Sometimes we may need to average numbers from a column in Excel. Average means the mean value of the input numbers. We have to sum the numbers first and then divide the sum by the number of inputs to get an average. This article will discuss methods to average a column in Excel.

How to Average a Column in Excel: 7 Easy Methods

We can find the average of numbers using different methods in Excel. 7 such simple and efficient methods to average a column are given here.

Method 1: Using AVERAGE Function for Column Average

Excel has the AVERAGE function to do the average. Here we will discuss the method in steps.

Steps:

• We have to select the cell where we want to put the average.

• We have entered cell C10 and written the formula given below.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input numbers.

• We use the Fill Handle rightwards to copy the formula to the rest of the cells.

We will see the results for each column.

This method also works for percentage input.

Read More: How to Calculate Average of Multiple Columns in Excel

Method 2: Column Average with Blanks and Texts

If we have text as input, we can use the AVERAGEA function instead of the AVERAGE function. Here the text input will be counted as 1 and blank cells will be ignored. We are showing the steps below.

Steps:

• We have to select the cell where we’ll average the inputs.

• We need to write the formula given below in the cell.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input.

• Use the Fill Handle to copy the formula from left to right.

We can see the results are different than the previous method.

Read More: How to Find Average with Blank Cells in Excel

Method 3: Average of Top Numbers in a Column

We may need to average the top few numbers of the input range. In that case, we will use the LARGE function in addition to the AVERAGE function.

Steps:

• We have to select the cell where we want to calculate the result.

• We have to write the formula given below to the cell.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input, and {1,2,3} denotes we will take the top 3 numbers.

• We expand the formula in the rightward cells using the Fill Handle feature.

Method 4: Average of Bottom Numbers in a Column

Instead of the average of top numbers, we may want the average of a few bottom numbers. We will use the SMALL function additionally.

Steps:

• We selected cell C10 to show the result.

• We have to write the formula given below in the cell.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input, and {1,2,3} denotes we will take the bottom 3 numbers.

• Apply the Fill Handle to copy the formula to the rightward cells.

Method 5: Using Excel AVERAGEIF to Average with Criteria

We can also average numbers if certain criteria are fulfilled. Here we will use the AVERAGEIF function. We will show the steps to do that below.

Steps:

• We have to select the cell where we will show the result.

• We have to enter the cell and write the following formula.

Here, C6:C9 is the range, and ">70" is the criteria.

• Use AutoFill to copy the formula to the rest of the cells.

Read More: How to Find Average of Specific Cells in Excel

Method 6: Using MEDIAN Function for Column Average

Instead of arithmetic mean we can also find the median of a few numbers as average. We will use the MEDIAN function in this case.

Steps:

• Select cell C10 to show the result.

• We need to write the formula given below to the cell.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input.

• Copy the formula to the adjacent cells using the Fill Handle.

Method 7: Column Average Using MODE Function

The mode can be a replacement for average sometimes. We will use the MODE function in Excel to do that.

Steps:

We have to select the cell to display the result.

• We have to enter the cell and write the formula given below.

Here, C6:C9 is the range for input.

• Copy the formula using the Fill Handle feature to the rest of the cells.

We can see the result in all cells. There will be no mode if there is no repetition of the input number.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here.

Conclusion

The average of numbers is a very useful tool for mathematical calculation. In Excel, we can find the average of a column using different methods. In this article, we have shown 7 such simple methods to average a column in Excel. Hope the article will help you. If you have any suggestions regarding the methods, please let us know by comment.