How to calculate standard deviation in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=STDEV.S(B2:B9)Use =STDEV.S(B2:B9) for a sample, which is the usual case, or =STDEV.P(B2:B9) when the data is the whole population.
- Result on the example
- 1.60 in
E1 - Works in
- Excel 2010 and later
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in E1. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
Standard deviation measures how far values typically sit from the average (4.5 days here). STDEV.S treats the eight orders as a sample of all orders and divides by n − 1, which gives about 1.60 days. STDEV.P divides by n and is for when you have every value there is.
=STDEV.S(B2:B9)Result1.603567451
B2:B98 rows × 1 col: 3, 5, 4, 7, …A range: 8 cells in one column.
STDEV.S(B2:B9)1.603567451STDEV: Sample standard deviation (same as STDEV.S).- number1
B2:B98 rows × 1 col: 3, 5, 4, 7, …
- number1
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =STDEV.S(B2:B9). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns 1.60.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =STDEV(B2:B9) | 1.60 | The older name for STDEV.S; still works. |
| =STDEV.P(B2:B9) | 1.50Different result | For a complete population. Divides by n instead of n − 1: 1.50. |
Common mistakes
- Text and blanks in the range are ignored, but zeros count. A 0 used for "missing" inflates the spread.
- With a single value, STDEV.S returns #DIV/0! because n − 1 is 0.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate standard deviation
E1, calculate the sample standard deviation of the delivery times in B2:B9.Questions
Should I use STDEV.S or STDEV.P?
Use STDEV.S unless the data is every member of the group you care about, like every employee rather than a survey of some.
How do I calculate standard deviation with a condition?
Filter first: =STDEV.S(FILTER(B2:B9,B2:B9>2)).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.