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: Determining a Simple Moving Average.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 31, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Jeff needs to create a formula that will return a moving average for a range of cells. He adds data to the worksheet daily and he always want to have an average of the last ten days' information. This always corresponds to the last ten cells in a column.
There are a couple of easy ways you can approach this problem. The solution you choose depends on what you ultimately want to see in the way of an average. For instance, if you want to see how the average changes over time, the best approach is to add an additional column to your worksheet. If the data is in column A (starting in row 2), then you can enter the following formula in cell B11:
=IF(A11>"",AVERAGE(A2:A11),"")
Copy the formula down the column, and you will always have the average of the last ten days shown. As you add new data to column A, the updated moving average appears at the bottom of column B. The advantage is that you can see how the average changes from day to day.
If you don't want to add another column for each day's moving average, you can use a different formula to determine the current moving average. Assuming there are no blanks in column A and that there are more than ten pieces of data in the column, you could use the following formula:
=AVERAGE(OFFSET(A1,COUNTA(A:A)-1,0,-10,1))
The OFFSET function defines the range to average. It looks at the number of cells in column A and selects the last 10 as the desired range.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8345) 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: Determining a Simple Moving Average.
Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!
Using a formula to find information in a text value is easy. Using a formula to find either of two text values within a ...
Discover MoreNeed to get at the last value in a column, regardless of how many cells are used within that column? You can apply the ...
Discover MoreIf you have a list of names in a column, and you want to separate those names into individual cells, there are several ...
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.
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:
Comments