Oh, this is a sneaky trap. An empty cell and a cell with a zero (0) are totally different. If a cell has a zero, Sheets includes it in the average. That will drag your number down. If a cell is empty, it simply doesn’t count it.
So, worry about zeros if you want to be precise. Otherwise, let Sheets do its thing and don’t lose sleep over it.
How to Calculate Averages in Google Sheets
Wait, Can I Average Non-Adjacent Cells?
You bet. Life is messy, and sometimes your numbers aren’t all in one tidy row. Use the AVERAGE function, but instead of highlighting a range, you type each cell reference separated by a comma. Like this: =AVERAGE(A2, C5, E9).
Yes, you can have commas until you run out of cells. It’s a little tedious, but it’s your data. You get to be picky.
