How to Calculate Range in Excel

In statistics, a range measures the spread of a data sample. You calculate it by subtracting the lowest number in a group from the highest number. Microsoft Excel includes functions to help you calculate and analyze the range.

Instructions

1. Open a new worksheet in Microsoft Excel. For the purposes of this article, type a series of numbers into column A, beginning with "1" in cell A1 and ending with "10" in cell A10.

2. Click on cell B1, which should be blank, and type "=MAX(A1:A10)" to find the highest number in the data sample you entered. In this case, it will be 10.

3. Click on cell B2, which is also blank, and type "=MIN(A1:A10)" to find the lowest number in the data sample. In this example, it will be 1.

4. Click on the blank cell B3 and type "=B1-B2" to calculate the range by subtracting the minimum value of your data from the maximum value. In the above example, the range is 9.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to type out the functions when entering formulas, click on "Insert Function" in the Formulas tab of Microsoft Excel to bring up a dialog window with the different options. MIN and MAX are in the Statistical category.

References

• Microsoft Office: Calculate the Smallest or Largest Number in a Range
• OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms: Range

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish