STDEV

Excel Functions

Get the standard deviation in a sample

Syntax

EXCEL

=STDEV(number1, [number2], ...)

Arguments

Parameter	Description
`number1`	First number or reference in the sample.
`number2`	[optional] Second number or reference.

Return Value

Estimated standard deviation

Details

The STDEV function calculates the standard deviation for a sample set of data. Standard deviation measures how much variance there is in a set of numbers compared to the average (mean) of the numbers. The STDEV function is meant to estimate standard deviation in a sample. If data represents an entire population, use the STDEVP function. In the example shown, the formula in F7 is: Note: Microsoft classifies STDEV as a "compatibility function", now replaced by the STDEV.S function. The table below summarizes the standard deviation functions provided by Excel.

Examples

Example 1

In the example shown, the formula in F7 is: