How to Use the SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT Functions in Google Sheets

Google Sheets makes it easy to work with numbers and data. Three of the most fundamental functions are SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT. Whether you're calculating totals, averages, or counting entries, mastering these functions is essential for any spreadsheet user.

🔢 1. The SUM Function

The SUM function adds up a series of numbers. It's a powerful and simple tool to calculate totals in Google Sheets. To use it, enter the following formula:

=SUM(A1:A10)

This will add all the numbers in the range from A1 to A10. You can also use SUM with multiple ranges:

=SUM(A1:A10, C1:C10)

📊 2. The AVERAGE Function

The AVERAGE function calculates the mean of a group of numbers. This is useful when you want to find the average of a dataset. The syntax for the AVERAGE function is:

=AVERAGE(A1:A10)

This will return the average of the numbers in cells A1 through A10. Similar to SUM, AVERAGE can handle multiple ranges too:

=AVERAGE(A1:A10, C1:C10)

✅ 3. The COUNT Function

The COUNT function counts the number of cells in a range that contain numerical values. For example:

=COUNT(B1:B10)

This will count how many cells in the range B1 to B10 have numbers. If you want to count non-empty cells regardless of their content type (not just numbers), you can use the COUNTA function:

=COUNTA(B1:B10)

📊 Examples of Usage

Let’s go over some practical examples:

SUM Example: You have a list of expenses in column A, and you want to calculate the total amount. Simply use =SUM(A1:A20).
AVERAGE Example: You want to calculate the average sales in column B for the past month. Use =AVERAGE(B1:B30).
COUNT Example: To count the number of entries in a column, use =COUNT(C1:C50).

📥 Downloadable PDF

SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT Functions Guide (PDF)

Tags: SUM function, AVERAGE function, COUNT function, Google Sheets tutorial, Google Sheets formulas

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