

In the example shown, we pick up the value in cell B2:Īnother way to create a histogram in Excel is to use the Data Analysis ToolPak add-in. Next, right-click a bar, and format the data series to reduce the gap width to 5% (or as desired):Ĭhange the chart title as you like. Then insert a column chart (Insert > Charts > Clustered column): First, hold down the control key and select two ranges: E4:E8, and G4:G8. To chart the output from FREQUENCY, follow these steps.

This formula simply builds a label for each bin using the bin values in column F. In the example shown, the formula in cell E5, copied down, is: =IF(F5=MIN(bins),"≤"&F5,F4+1&"-"&F5) The labels in E5:E8 are for readability and presentation only. If you don't mind the extra value, the single formula option is easier, and you can choose not to plot the value in a chart. Entering the formula in 4 cells only (as above) suppresses this last value. However, if you use this approach, you will see the count for the overflow bin output as well. There is no need to use control + shift + enter. In Excel 365, you can simply enter one formula in cell G5, and results will automatically spill onto the worksheet.

This value is not shown in the worksheet, because we only entered the formula in four cells. Excel will automatically add curly braces // array returned by FREQUENCYĮxcel will place the first 4 values in the range G5:G8. Notice the overflow count, zero, is also returned as the fifth element in the array, since there are no values greater than 100. Enter the formula as an array formula with control + shift + enter. Paste or type this formula in the formula bar: =FREQUENCY(data,bins)Ĥ. Select the range G5:G8 (all four cells).ģ. Delete existing formulas if needed (see note below).Ģ. To enter the FREQUENCY formula, follow these steps in the attached workbook.ġ. FREQUENCY will also return an "overflow count" – the count of values greater than the last bin. In other words, each bin will include a count of scores up to and including the bin value. The range F5:F8 is the named range "bins". FREQUENCY will treat each bin value as the upper limit for that bin. In the example shown, we have a list of 12 scores in the named range "data" (C5:C16). On the other hand, once you set up your bins correctly, FREQUENCY will give you all counts at once! Setup and formula The FREQUENCY function returns a frequency distribution, which is a summary table that shows the count of each value in a range by "bin". FREQUENCY is a bit tricky to use, because must be entered as an array formula. Because FREQUENCY is a formula, the results and chart will dynamically update if data changes. The example on this page shows one way to create your own histogram data with the FREQUENCY function and use a regular column chart to plot the results. Note: later versions of Excel include a native histogram chart, which is easy to create, but not as flexible to format.
