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Home Tutorials Excel

A Comprehensive Guide to
Calculating Frequency Distributions in
Excel
Follow our step-by-step guide to create frequency distributions in Excel by
using the FREQUENCY() function with just two arguments: data_array and
bins_array.
Jun 2024 · 11 min read

CONTENTS A frequency distribution, often visualized with a frequency histogram, organizes data points
The Quick Answer: How to
into specified ranges, allowing for an easy understanding of how often each value occurs.
Create a Frequency This technique is vital for identifying patterns, trends, and potential outliers, providing deeper
Distribution in Excel insights into the data. Arunn Thevapalan
Why Frequency Senior Data Scientist &
Distributions Are This tutorial will explore frequency distributions, their significance in data analysis, and how Technical Writer. Helping
Important to create them. With Microsoft Excel, we will walk through a step-by-step guide to data enthusiasts break into
generating a frequency distribution for a real-world dataset and interpreting the results to data science.
Methods to Create a
Frequency Distribution in gain meaningful insights.
Excel
TO P I C S
Final Thoughts
The Quick Answer: How to Create a Frequency Excel
Frequently Asked
Questions Distribution in Excel Data Analysis

To create a frequency distribution in Excel, use the FREQUENCY() function. The function
SHARE
calculates how often values occur within specified ranges, known as bins.

Follow these steps:

Start by entering your data in one column. What is a Frequency

Histogram? A
Define your bins in another column. Comprehensive Guide For
Beginners
In a new cell, type =FREQUENCY(data_array, bins_array) , where data_array is the
range of your data cells and bins_array is the range of your bins.

Example: =FREQUENCY(A2:A16, B2:B6) .

A Comprehensive Guide to
Press Enter to get the frequency distribution. Calculating Skewness in
Excel

Rank Formula in Excel: A

Comprehensive Guide With
Examples

How to Make a Histogram

in Base R

Calculating frequency distribution with FREQUENCY() function. Image by Author

Why Frequency Distributions Are Important

A frequency distribution is a statistical technique that organizes data into categories or
intervals. Generally, the result is a table displaying the number of observations for a
provided interval of the underlying data.

Frequency distributions are helpful in several ways:

Summary of Data: Frequency distributions summarize large datasets in an organized

and understandable manner. This allows us to have a quick overview of the distribution
of values.

Visual Representation: The frequency distribution can be easily represented as

histograms and pie charts, giving a visual understanding of the data.

Identifying Patterns, Trends, and Outliers: They reveal patterns in the data, such as
peaks, clusters, and outliers. It can be used in statistical analysis to explore the shape
and characteristics of data further.

Comparison of Data: The distribution of values enables you to compare different

datasets and understand the similarities and differences.

Communication: Frequency distributions can be used as a simple and effective tool for
communicating the insights from the data to a broader audience, including decision-
makers.

Decision-Making: A clear understanding of the distribution and its patterns helps in

decision-making. For example, understanding the supply of goods by season will assist
in deciding when to make purchases.

Now that we’ve understood frequency distributions and their importance, let’s dive into
several methods to create them in Microsoft Excel.

Methods to Create a Frequency Distribution in

Excel
Imagine you work for a cosmetic company that offers products for a wide range of age
groups. Now, they are looking to specialize in a few products targeting specific age group
that has more customers. To understand that, you’re tasked with analyzing the customers by
age group.

To address this, they have sampled data on customer age from the customer database. The
following table has been given to you:

Customer Age dataset. Image by Author

As part of analyzing demand by customer age group, you’ve realized that calculating the
frequency distribution will be a good starting point. Here are four methods to calculate the
frequency distribution using Microsoft Excel.

Method 1: Using the FREQUENCY() function

The FREQUENCY() function calculates the frequency distribution of given data and returns
a list that shows the frequency of values at given intervals.

Here is the syntax of the FREQUENCY() function:

=FREQUENCY(data_array, bins_array)

Explain code POWERED BY

The function takes two parameters:

. data_array : An array of or reference to a set of values for which you want to count
frequencies. If data_array contains no values, FREQUENCY() returns an array of zeros.

. bins_array : An array of or reference to intervals into which you want to group the
values in data_array. If bins_array contains no values, FREQUENCY() returns the number
of elements in data_array.

Both parameters are required to compute the frequency distribution. You are only given the
data_array , which is Customer Age. Therefore, you are required to define the bins_array
on your own.

For this use case, we can define the bins as <20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–60 and >60. Fill
out column B in your worksheet, as shown below.

The formula for frequency distribution using FREQUENCY() function. Image by Author

Having prepared the data_array and bins_array , write the formula to calculate the
frequency distribution in cell C2.

=FREQUENCY(A2:A16, B2:B6)

Explain code POWERED BY

The output from executing the above formula will look like the following:

Frequency distribution using FREQUENCY() function. Image by Author

Looking at the frequency distribution above, we see:

The company has only one customer who is less than 20 years old.

Five customers are in the age range of 20–30 and 30–40.

Three customers are in the age range of 40–50.

One customer is in the age range of 50–60.

No customers are older than 60.

From the frequency distribution, you understand that most customers are between 20 and
40 years old.

Method 2: Using Pivot Tables

Pivot tables are a quick and easy way to summarize and analyze large amounts of data.
Pivot tables offer features like aggregation, grouping, and slicers, to name a few.

To calculate frequency distribution using Pivot Tables, click on Insert from the menu and
select PivotTable.

Insert PivotTable. Image by Author

Specify the data range for which you wish to create the Pivot Table. In your case, the data
range is A2:A16 . Select New Worksheet to get the output in a new sheet.

After specifying the data range, press OK.

Specifying pivot table parameters. Image by Author

Upon clicking OK, you will see the PivotTable Fields pane on the right side of the window. To
create a Pivot Table for Customer Age, drag and drop Customer Age under Rows and
Values.

Customize Pivot Table. Image by Author

After you drag and drop the Customer Age field, the right pane will look like below:

Customized Pivot Table. Image by Author

The generated Pivot Table will look like this:

Pivot Table of Customer Age. Image by Author

If you observe the above pivot table, this is different from what you are looking for. The use
case is to analyze the number of customers by age group.

We are missing two things:

. The Customer Age column is not grouped.

. We are interested in the number of customers in each group, not the sum of their age.

Let’s fix it.

Right-click on a row value and select Group.

Group the row values in the pivot table. Image by Author

Fill in the grouping parameters. In our example, we chose the bins as 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60.
Therefore, we start at 20 and end at 60 with an increment of 10 .

Grouping Pivot Table. Image by Author

After grouping, the output will look like:

Grouped Pivot Table. Image by Author

Next, we need to change the Sum to Count. To change this, right-click on the Sum of
Customer Age cell and select Value Field Settings.

Value Field Settings in Pivot Table. Image by Author

In the popup dialog, Under Summarize Values By, change Sum to Count and press OK.

Value Field settings. Image by Author

Once you update it, the output will look like:

Frequency distribution using a Pivot Table. Image by Author

You were looking for this output — you’ve got the frequency distribution by Customer Age.

Method 3: Using the Data Analysis ToolPak

The Data Analysis Toolpak is an additional add-in for Microsoft Excel that helps calculate
metrics commonly used in data analytics tasks.

This add-in isn’t enabled by default. Therefore, check the top right for the Data Analysis icon
under the Data tab in your Excel workbook.

Data Analysis ToolPak in Excel. Image by Author

If you don’t see the icon as shown above, the add-in hasn't been enabled. To enable it, click
on File from the menu and select Options.

Selecting Options from the File Tab. Image by Author

Select Add-ins when the Excel Options dialog box opens.

Select Add-ins from the Excel Options dialog box. Image by Author

Next, select Excel Add-ins in the Manage box at the bottom, and click Go.

Managing Excel add-ins. Image by Author

Check Analysis ToolPak once the Add-Ins dialog box opens and click OK.

Enabling Data Analysis ToolPak. Image by Author

The Data Analysis icon will be visible under the Data tab now, and you need not repeat this
process, as enabling the add-in is a one-time task.

Select the data range, including the column header, to calculate the frequency distribution.
Click on the Data Analysis icon. A dialog box will pop up. Choose the Histogram from it and
click OK.

Invoking the Data Analysis Toolpak add-in. Image by Author

You will be prompted with a dialog box, as shown below.

Customize histogram parameters. Image by Author

Fill in the Input range with the Customer Age data range and Bin Range with Bins.

You have the Customer Age data in cells A2:A16 .

You have the Bins data in cells B2:B6 .

For the Output options, select New Worksheet to get the output in a new worksheet.

Click OK.

You will see the frequency distribution in a new worksheet like the one below.

Frequency distribution using Data Analysis Toolpak. Image by Author

Voila! You have the frequency distribution by age group created using the Data Analysis
ToolPak.

Method 4: Using COUNTIF() and COUNTIFS() functions

The COUNTIF() function counts the number of times a single criterion is met. The
COUNTIFS() function counts the number of cells that meet multiple criteria.

To calculate the frequency for each age group, enter the below formulas in cells D2 to D7 ,
respectively.

# In cell D2
=COUNTIF(A2:A16, "<=20")
# In cell D3
=COUNTIFS(A2:A16, ">20", A2:A16, "<=30")
# In cell D4
=COUNTIFS(A2:A16, ">30", A2:A16, "<=40")
# In cell D5
=COUNTIFS(A2:A16, ">40", A2:A16, "<=50")
# In cell D6
=COUNTIFS(A2:A16, ">50", A2:A16, "<=60")
# In cell D7
=COUNTIF(A2:A16, ">60")

Explain code POWERED BY

Here’s an example of how to add the formula to the cells. Once you calculate all of them,
the output will look like:

Calculate frequency distribution using the COUNTIF() function. Image by Author

Compared to other methods discussed, a limitation of using COUNTIF() is that it requires

predefined bin ranges within the equation.

The most common method to create the frequency distribution table is by using the
FREQUENCY() function.

However, feel free to use whichever method you find comfortable. For example, using the
Data Analysis Toolpak might be a better fit if you’re also calculating other statistical
measures such as skewness, ANOVA, or correlation matrix as part of the analysis.

Final Thoughts
In this tutorial, we learned the importance of frequency distribution and how to calculate it
using Microsoft Excel. By working through a real-world example, we learned to use the
FREQUENCY() function and interpret the resulting distribution to gain insights into our data.
We explored three alternative ways to calculate the frequency distribution.

The learning doesn’t have to stop here, and we encourage you to continue learning and
expanding your Excel skills. Consider taking the Excel Fundamentals track to build your
foundation with Excel. The courses Data Preparation in Excel and Data Visualization in
Excel can assist you in expanding your knowledge of these topics. Have a look at the Data
Manipulation in Excel Cheat Sheet, which can serve as a quick reference.

Happy learning!!!

AUTHOR

Arunn Thevapalan

As a senior data scientist, I design, develop, and deploy large-scale machine-learning

solutions to help businesses make better data-driven decisions. As a data science writer, I
share learnings, career advice, and in-depth hands-on tutorials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are bins in a frequency distribution?

Bins are ranges that group data points in a frequency distribution. Each bin represents
a range of values, and the frequency is the count of data points within each bin.

How do I create custom bins for my frequency distribution?

What is the difference between COUNTIF() and COUNTIFS()?

How do you create a frequency distribution with unequal bin sizes?

What are some limitations of using COUNTIF() in calculating frequency

distribution?

TO P I C S

Excel Data Analysis

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