# How to average numbers in Excel

Use `=AVERAGE(B2:B7)`, which adds the numbers and divides by how many there are, skipping blank cells.

**Excel:** `=AVERAGE(B2:B7)` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Student | Test score |  | Class average |
| Ava | 88 |  |  |
| Ben |  |  |  |
| Chloe | 94 |  |  |
| Dan | 0 |  |  |
| Eve | 76 |  |  |
| Finn | 91 |  |  |

Formula in E1: `=AVERAGE(B2:B7)`

Result: 69.80

## How it works

AVERAGE adds the numbers and divides by the count of numbers. Ben's blank cell (not graded yet) is skipped, so the total of 349 is divided by 5, not 6. Dan's 0 is a real score and counts, which pulls the average down to 69.8.

## Other ways

- `=SUM(B2:B7)/COUNT(B2:B7)`: The same average built from its parts. COUNT counts only cells with numbers.
- `=SUM(B2:B7)/ROWS(B2:B7)`: Dividing by the number of rows. (Counts the blank as a score of 0: 58.17.)

## Common mistakes

- A 0 and a blank are different to AVERAGE: zeros count, blanks don't. If 0 means "no data", use `=AVERAGEIF(B2:B7,"<>0")`.
- Numbers stored as text are skipped, like blanks, so the average quietly covers fewer students.

## Questions

**How do I average several separate ranges?**

List them: `=AVERAGE(B2:B7,D2:D7)`.

**How do I round the average?**

Wrap it: `=ROUND(AVERAGE(B2:B7),1)`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/average-numbers