Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Counting with Subtotals.

Counting with Subtotals

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated April 2, 2022)

Suppose that you have two adjacent columns of data. In the first column you have a list of names and in the second column a list of states. If you want to find out how many people live in each state, you can use the subtotaling features of Excel. To use this feature to answer your query, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure there are column heads on each column, such as "Name" and "State." (The subtotaling feature requires the presence of column heads.)
  2. Sort the columns by the values in the second (states) column.
  3. Make sure one of the cells is still selected in either of the columns.
  4. Choose Subtotals from the Data menu. Excel displays the Subtotal dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The Subtotal dialog box.

  5. Make sure the At Each Change In drop-down list is set to State. (Use the name of the second column.) This indicates where Excel will insert subtotals.
  6. The Use Function drop-down list should be set to Count.
  7. Using the list in the Add Subtotal To box, choose the columns to which subtotals should be added.
  8. Make sure the Summary Below Data check box is selected.
  9. Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2750) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Counting with Subtotals.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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