Standard deviation is one of the many statistics you can work out in Excel. Although the process is easy, calculating standard deviation in Excel can be confusing for beginners or people who aren't familiar with Microsoft Excel.

Are you having a hard time with it? No worries. In this article, and we'll show all the ways to calculate standard deviation in Excel

What Is Standard Deviation?

Standard deviation shows the difference between a group of data and their mean or average value. In essence, it returns a value that tells you how much your data deviates from the average value.

Standard deviation doesn't work on categorical data. You can only use it on numerical data.

Just like other statistics, Excel offers various ways of calculating the standard deviation. You can do it with a formula method or using the Insert Function option on the Excel ribbon. We'll go through each of the available methods below.

How to Calculate Standard Deviation in Excel Using Insert Function

Using the Insert Function option lets you avoid the need to master Excel formulas. However, this method writes the actual formula in your chosen result cell and the formula bar. So, it can also be one of the ways to find useful Excel formulas quickly.

Here's how to calculate the standard deviation in Microsoft Excel using the Insert Function method:

  1. Create a new column within your spreadsheet to hold the standard deviation result. You can give it any name you want.
  2. Select any cell in the column you created.
    Create a new column and click any empty cell below it
  3. Go to the Excel ribbon and click Formulas.
  4. Then look to the left edge of the ribbon and click Insert Function.
    Go to the Excel ribbon and click formulas
  5. In the menu, scroll through the options within the Select a function window and choose STDEV, which is short for standard deviation.
  6. Click OK.
    Select STDEV from the list of options
  7. Next, highlight the column you want to calculate the standard deviation of.
  8. Click OK to calculate the standard deviation and paste the result into the cell you originally selected.
    Highlight the target column and click OK

Note: While you don't need to complete the first two steps to calculate the standard deviation, they help organize your results. This means you can select any cell in your spreadsheet to hold the standard deviation result without necessarily creating a new column.

How to Paste the Standard Deviation Result Into a Different Excel Sheet

You can also separate the standard deviation from the original data by pasting it in a different spreadsheet. This method is useful if you like to separate your statistical results from the original data. You can also do this for other basic statistics in Excel.

Using the Insert Function method above:

  1. Create a new sheet by clicking the Add (+) sign in the bottom-left corner of the Excel.
  2. In the new sheet, select a column for holding the standard deviation result and give it a name.
  3. Then click on a cell in that column.
    Create a new column for hoding the result in the new sheet
  4. While in the new sheet, click on Formulas > Insert Function in the ribbon.
  5. Just like above, look through the options in the menu and select STDEV, then click OK.
  6. Move back to the sheet with the original data and highlight the column you want to calculate the standard deviation for.
  7. Click OK to paste the result in the new sheet.

Related: How to Merge Excel Files and Sheets

How to Calculate Standard Deviation in Excel Using the a Formula Option

Using a formula can come in handy when you need to carry out the task quickly and save time in Microsoft Excel. It's easier if you know your way around Excel shortcuts and formulas. But even if you're still learning, the standard deviation formula is pretty easy to master.

To find the standard deviation using an Excel formula:

  1. Open your spreadsheet and create a new column to store your standard deviation result. Give the column a name.
  2. Let's assume the column with your data is column H, and assuming you want to calculate the standard deviation for rows 1 to 14. Select a cell in your new column type: =STDEV(H1:H14).
    Type the formula in a new cell
  3. Of course, you probably need to replace H with the appropriate column for your data and replace 1 and 14 with the range of rows you want to cover.
  4. Press Return to complete your formula, at which point Excel should calculate the standard deviation for you.

Related: How to Copy Formulas in Microsoft Excel

Population and Sample Standard Deviation Explained

Depending on your particular needs, you may want to calculate the population or sample standard deviation instead.

The population standard deviation estimates the distance of every individual in a population from the population average. You use it when you have access to the data of the entire population.

To calculate the population standard deviation, use STDEV.P.

The sample standard deviation calculates the standard deviation from a population's subset. You use it when you're not interested in estimating the entire population, and a sample is enough for the statistic.

The value of the sample standard deviation is typically higher than that of the population standard deviation.

To calculate the sample standard deviation in Excel, use STDEV.S instead of STDEV.

Which Standard Deviation Method Is Better?

Although we've highlighted a few different ways to calculate standard deviation in Excel, you might still be a bit confused about the one you should use. All the methods we explained are useful, and there is no best method. So the one you decide to use depends on your choice and what you intend to achieve.

However, the formula method is most helpful if you want to familiarize yourself with Excel formulas and shortcuts.

In addition to calculating the standard deviation, Excel offers plenty of other statistics as well. Mean, median, mode, and other averages are all available in Excel, which much more to learn than that.