Purpose
Get the frequency of values in a data set
Return value
A vertical array of frequencies
Syntax
=FREQUENCY (data_array, bins_array)
Arguments
- data_array – An array of values for which you want to get frequencies.
- bins_array – An array of intervals (“bins”) for grouping values.
Usage notes
You can use Excel’s FREQUENCY function to create a frequency distribution – a summary table that shows the frequency (count) of each value in a range. FREQUENCY counts how often values occur in a set of data. It returns a vertical array of numbers that represent frequencies.
Notes:
- Because FREQUENCY always returns an array, it needs to be entered as an array formula or with other functions that handle the array.
- FREQUENCY always returns an array with one more item than the bins_array. This is by design, to catch any values greater than the largest interval in the bins_array.
To create a frequency distribution using FREQUENCY:
- Enter numbers that represent the bins you want to group values into
- Make a selection the same size as the range that contains bins, or one greater if want to include the extra item
- Enter the FREQUENCY function as an array formula using Control+Shift+Enter
