# QUARTILE.INC function in Excel

> QUARTILE.INC returns a quartile of a set of numbers: 1 for the first quartile (the 25th percentile), 2 for the median, 3 for the third quartile, and 0 and 4 for the minimum and maximum.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/quartile-inc · Updated October 28, 2026 · Formulas and results on this page were run by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on October 30, 2026

## Quick answer

- **What it does:** QUARTILE.INC returns a quartile of a set of numbers: 1 for the first quartile (the 25th percentile), 2 for the median, 3 for the third quartile, and 0 and 4 for the minimum and maximum.
- **Syntax:** `=QUARTILE.INC(array, quart)`
- **Most common use:** `=QUARTILE.INC(B2:B9,1)` returns $53,500 (A quarter of salaries are at or below this)
- **Available in:** Excel 2010 and later
- **Category:** [Statistical functions](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/category/stats)
- **Returns:** A number; #NUM! if quart is below 0 or above 4.
- **Google Sheets:** Google Sheets has QUARTILE.INC and QUARTILE, with the same results.

## What it does

QUARTILE.INC returns a quartile of a set of numbers: 1 for the first quartile (the 25th percentile), 2 for the median, 3 for the third quartile, and 0 and 4 for the minimum and maximum. Use it for box-plot style summaries and to split data into four bands. QUARTILE is the older name for the same function.

## Syntax

`=QUARTILE.INC(array, quart)`

| Argument | Required? | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| `array` | Required | The numbers. Text and blanks are skipped. |
| `quart` | Required | 0 minimum, 1 first quartile, 2 median, 3 third quartile, 4 maximum. |

## Examples

Each result was calculated by running the formula on the sample sheet.

| Cell | Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | `=QUARTILE.INC(B2:B9,1)` | $53,500 | A quarter of salaries are at or below this |
| D3 | `=QUARTILE.INC(B2:B9,3)` | $68,250 | Three quarters are at or below this |
| D4 | `=QUARTILE.INC(B2:B9,3)-QUARTILE.INC(B2:B9,1)` | $14,750 | The interquartile range: the spread of the middle half |

### The sample sheet

Every formula above runs on this data:

|  | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Employee | Salary |  | Result |
| 2 | A | $52,000 |  | $53,500 |
| 3 | B | $61,000 |  | $68,250 |
| 4 | C | $48,000 |  | $14,750 |
| 5 | D | $75,000 |  |  |
| 6 | E | $58,000 |  |  |
| 7 | F | $91,000 |  |  |
| 8 | G | $66,000 |  |  |
| 9 | H | $54,000 |  |  |

## Common mistakes

| What you see | Why, and how to fix it |
|---|---|
| #NUM! | quart must be 0–4. Decimals are truncated, so 1.9 means 1. |
| The median doesn't match | QUARTILE.INC(range,2) always equals MEDIAN(range). If they differ, the two formulas use different ranges. |

## Tips

- The interquartile range, Q3 minus Q1, measures spread without being pulled by one extreme value.

## Related functions

- [PERCENTILE.INC](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/percentile-inc): PERCENTILE.INC returns the value below which a given share of the data falls: k = 0.9 gives the 90th percentile.
- [MEDIAN](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/median): MEDIAN returns the middle value once the numbers are sorted.
- [QUARTILE.EXC](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/quartile-exc): QUARTILE.EXC returns the first, second or third quartile using the exclusive method, which some statistics tools and textbooks use.

## Questions

### How do I find quartiles in Excel?

=QUARTILE.INC(B2:B100,1) for the first quartile and =QUARTILE.INC(B2:B100,3) for the third. 2 gives the median.

### What is the difference between QUARTILE.INC and QUARTILE.EXC?

They use different methods. .INC includes the minimum and maximum (quart 0 and 4); .EXC only takes 1–3 and gives slightly wider quartiles on short lists.

## Practice

A graded QUARTILE.INC exercise ("Interquartile range") is on [the QUARTILE.INC page](https://spreadsheetpractice.com/functions/quartile-inc). It is checked instantly, then re-checked on changed data.

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