Syntax
=AVERAGE(value1, [value2, ...])
value1- The first number, cell or range to average.
value2, ...- Optional. More values or ranges.
AVERAGE function in Google Sheets
AVERAGE returns the arithmetic mean: it adds up the numbers and divides by how many there are. Blank cells and text are left out of both the total and the count.
Practice AVERAGE
Task 1 of 3
What is the class average? Put it in D2.
Tip: while typing a formula, click a cell or drag across cells to insert references. Press Enter to check, and Tab to accept a function suggestion.
AVERAGE examples
Each example below runs against this sample sheet. The results are calculated by the same engine as the practice grid.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student | Class | Score | Passed |
| 2 | Priya | A | 92 | TRUE |
| 3 | Leo | B | 67 | FALSE |
| 4 | Chloe | A | 48 | FALSE |
| 5 | Mateo | B | 81 | TRUE |
| 6 | Ines | C | FALSE | |
| 7 | Kai | C | 75 | TRUE |
| Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
=AVERAGE(C2:C7) | 72.6 | Ines's blank score is ignored, so this divides by 5, not 6. |
=AVERAGE(C2, C5) | 86.5 | Average of two specific cells. |
=ROUND(AVERAGE(C2:C7), 1) | 72.6 | Round the result to one decimal place. |
Tips and common mistakes
- A blank cell is not the same as 0. If a missing value should count as zero, enter 0 in the cell.
- If the range contains no numbers at all, AVERAGE returns #DIV/0!.
- When a few extreme values distort the result, MEDIAN is often a better "typical" value.
Related functions
Learning step by step? AVERAGE is covered in Lesson 3: AVERAGE Function of the free course.