How to Compute Three Measures of Central Tendency in Excel

In this tutorial you will receive step-by-step instructions for how to calculate the mean, median, and mode using Excel.

Steps:

  1. Open an Excel data file.
  2. Enter the following numbers in cells A1 through A8: 6,4,3,7,9,10,4,8 First we will calculate the mean. To do this, click on the cell to the right of the label “Mean” that you just created (or any empty cell in which you want the mean to appear).
  3. Before you start generating statistics in Excel you need to decide where you want to put them in the file. In case, we will put the data in column A and the mean in cell B1.
  • In Column A, type the following number so that they are in cells A1 to A8: 2,3,5,4,6,4,7,3. We will find the standard deviation of these numbers.
  • Put your cursor in any blank cell, e.g. B1.
  • Click on Formulas on the top of the toolbar and then on Insert Function.
    In the new window that appears, under the label “function category” scroll down to click on AVERAGE.
  • Click OK
  • In the new window that appears, type A1:A8 (A1 through A8) and press the Enter key. Or, you can highlight the data you want to analyze by click-dragging the cursor over the data.
  • The Mean now appears in Cell B1. It should be: 6.375.
  • You will want to reduce the number of decimal points, probably to 2. You can do this by clicking on format from the main toolbar, then on cells. Make sure number is selected in the left column, if not, select it. You will see a box for decimal places where you can specify the desired number.

Next calculate the Mode and the Median by starting at Step 5 above and substituting the MODE and then later the MEDIAN functions in Excel instead of AVERAGE.

If you wish to round your data and not have decimal points, place your cursor on the cell and select Format from the top toolbar, and then cell. Select number on the left box. Once it is selected you will see a screen where you can change the number of decimal places to 0, or the number you desire.

Save your data file when you are finished.

Research for Effective Social Work Practice by Judy L. Krysik and Jerry Finn

© 2010 Routledge / Taylor & Francis