Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 1, 2018)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
There may be times when you need to count the number of cells in a range which fit a specific criteria. For instance, you may want to know how many cells in a range are over a specific threshold. The natural worksheet function to do this task is COUNTIF. As an example, you may want to know how many cells in the range of A1 through C15 contain a value of 120 or more. The following formula provides the proper count:
=COUNTIF(A1:C15,">119")
The only problem is if you want to add a second criterion to the formula. COUNTIF does not allow you to specify multiple criteria, so you need to resort to formula that is a bit more complex. For instance, if you wanted to know how many cells in the range of A1 through C15 contain a value between 120 and 129, inclusive, you could use the following:
=COUNTIF(A1:C15,">119")-COUNTIF(A1:C15,"<130")
This formula first calculates the number of cells with values at 120 or above and then subtracts the number of cells with values of 129 or below. Astute readers will see an immediate problem with this formula, however—it delivers an erroneous result if there are any cells in the range below 120. They are not counted by the first part of the formula, but they are counted in the result by the second part of the formula. To fix this problem the formula should instead appear as follows:
=COUNT(A1:C15)-COUNTIF(A1:C15,">119")-COUNTIF(A1:C15,"<130")
Another way to solve this problem without using the COUNT function is to simply count the cells that contain a value of less than 130 and then subtract the cells that contain a value of less than 120. This formula gives the same result as the last one:
=COUNTIF(A1:C15,"<130")-COUNTIF(A1:C15,"<120")
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2166) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
When performing a statistical analysis on a large dataset, you may want to use GEOMEAN to figure out the geometric mean ...
Discover MoreWhen you are working with sequenced values in a list, you'll often want to take some action based on the top X or bottom ...
Discover MoreWhen you need to count a number of cells based upon a single criteria, the standard function to use is COUNTIF. This tip ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments