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Excel is a powerful tool that can be used to organize, analyze, and report data. Excel’s powerful features make it an essential part of any data-driven organization and a valuable tool for the everyday user. In this article, we will discuss how to use the AVERAGE and OFFSET functions together to calculate a running average. Using these two functions together can help you quickly and accurately analyze data, allowing you to make informed decisions. We will explain how to use the AVERAGE and OFFSET functions, give examples of how each can be used, and discuss the importance of using them together.
You can use the following syntax with the AVERAGE and OFFSET functions in Excel to calculate the average of a specific range of values that are offset by a specific number of rows and columns:
=AVERAGE(OFFSET(A1, 6, 2, 5, 1))
This particular formula will average the range of values that is 5 rows long and 1 column wide that is offset by 6 rows below and 2 columns to the right of cell A1.
The following example shows how to use this formula in practice.
Example: How to Use AVERAGE and OFFSET in Excel
Suppose we have the following dataset in Excel that contains information about points scored by basketball players on various teams and positions:
Notice that each team has exactly five players.
Suppose we would like to calculate the average of the points scored by the players on the Spurs team.
We can type the following formula into cell E2 to do so:
=AVERAGE(OFFSET(A1, 6, 2, 5, 1))
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
The formula returns a value of 18.4, which is the average of the points values for players on the Spurs team.
We can confirm that this is correct by manually calculating the average of points for the Spurs players:
Average of Points for Spurs: (6 + 8 + 15 + 40 + 23) / 5 = 18.4.
This matches the value calculated by our formula.
How This Formula Works
Recall the formula that we used to calculate the average of the points for players on the Spurs team:
=AVERAGE(OFFSET(A1, 6, 2, 5, 1))
Here is a visual explanation of how the formula works:
First, we start at cell A1.
Then we go 6 cells below this cell and 2 cells to the right.
Then we specify that we’d like to look at the cell range that is 5 rows long and 1 column wide.
Lastly, we use the AVERAGE function to average the values in this range.