How can I use the AVERAGE and OFFSET functions together in Excel?

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The AVERAGE and OFFSET functions can be used together in Excel to calculate the average of a range of cells that can be dynamically changed based on a specified offset value. This allows for more flexibility in calculating averages, as the OFFSET function can be used to select a different range of cells for each calculation. By combining these two functions, users can efficiently and accurately calculate averages for varying sets of data without the need for manual adjustments. This feature is particularly useful for analyzing large datasets in Excel.

Excel: Use AVERAGE and OFFSET 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:

Excel average offset formula

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.

Additional Resources

The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in Excel:

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