The Excel STDEVA function calculates standard deviation for a sample of data. Unlike the STDEV function, STDEVA will evaluate text and logicals that appear in references. To calculate standard deviation for an entire population, use STDEVPA or STDEV.P.
Syntax:= STDEVA (number1, [number2], …)
The STDEVA function syntax has the following arguments:
- Number1 (required argument) – This is the first number argument that corresponds to a sample of a population.
- Number2 (optional argument) – This is a number argument that corresponds to a sample of a population.
Example: Let’s look at some Excel STDEVA function examples and explore how to use the STDEVA function as a worksheet function in Microsoft Excel:
Suppose we are given the following data:
Our first table consists of 2 columns: “Date” (column A) and “Amont” (column B). The second one has the value of standard deviation calculated with STDEV function with the result placed in the cell B17. The idea is to get the standard deviation of sales data based on the sample with STDEVA function and to place the result in the cell B16.
We want to get the standard deviation of the data in the “Amount” column.
The formula used is:
Syntax: =STDEVA(B3:B14)
Result: 6582805.886
STDEVA function calculates the standard deviation of the sample. This function evaluates logical values and text in the calculation of the standard deviation. In our example text is interpreted as zero and the formula result in the cell B16 is $6582805.886. This result means that amount values differ $6582805.886 from the mean of the amount data range.
Note:
- STDEVA assumes that its arguments are a sample of the population. If your data represents the entire population, you must compute the standard deviation using STDEVPA.
- The standard deviation is calculated using the “n-1” method.
- Arguments can be the following: numbers; names, arrays, or references that contain numbers; text representations of numbers; or logical values, such as TRUE and FALSE, in a reference.
- Arguments that contain TRUE evaluate as 1; arguments that contain text or FALSE evaluate as 0 (zero).
- If an argument is an array or reference, only values in that array or reference are used. Empty cells and text values in the array or reference are ignored.
- Arguments that are error values or text that cannot be translated into numbers cause errors.
- If you do not want to include logical values and text representations of numbers in a reference as part of the calculation, use the STDEV function.
- STDEVA uses the following formula:
where x is the sample mean AVERAGE(value1,value2,…) and n is the sample size.