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VLOOKUP can be used to average multiple rows by using the range_lookup argument set to FALSE. This will return the exact match of the lookup value, which can then be used to generate the average. By creating a SUM formula and dividing it by the COUNT formula, a single cell can be used to calculate the average of the multiple rows.
You can use the following formulas to perform a VLOOKUP and average multiple rows in Excel:
Method 1: VLOOKUP and AVERAGE Values in First Matched Row
=AVERAGE(VLOOKUP(A14, $A$2:$D$11, {2,3,4}, FALSE))
This particular formula calculates the average of the values in columns 2, 3, and 4 in the first row of the range A2:D11 where the value in column A is equal to the value in cell A14.
Method 2: VLOOKUP and AVERAGE Values in All Matched Rows
=AVERAGE(IF(A2:A11=$A$14,B2:D11))
This particular formula calculates the average of the values in columns B, C, and D for each row where the value in column A is equal to the value in cell A14.
The following examples show how to use each method in practice with the following dataset in Excel that shows the points scored by various basketball players in three different games:
Example 1: VLOOKUP and Average Values in First Matched Row
We can type the following formula into cell B14 to average the points values scored by Chad in all three games:
=AVERAGE(VLOOKUP(A14, $A$2:$D$11, {2,3,4}, FALSE))
Once we press Enter, the results will be shown:
This formula uses a VLOOKUP to find “Chad” in the Player column and then returns the average of the points values for each game in the first row that matches Chad.
We can see that the formula returns a value of 13.33, which is the average of the points scored by Chad in the first row where “Chad” appears.
Example 2: VLOOKUP and Average Values in All Matched Rows
=AVERAGE(IF(A2:A11=$A$14,B2:D11))
Once we press Enter, the results will be shown:
This formula looks up “Chad” in the Player column and then returns the average of the points values for each game in each row that matches Chad.
We can see that Chad scored an average of 17 points per game across the two rows he appeared in.